A Month as a Time Walker
by December
Summary: Suppose you could reunite a family scattered across time. Would you? And who would you be willing to hurt in the process? A SM/YYH/BB crossover.
1. A Limbo Proposition

Prologue: A Limbo Proposition  
  
May took a deep breath...and then another, relishing in the feeling. It  
was the first time in the last five - or was it fifteen? - minutes that  
she could so without pain. All that smoke made it hard to breathe. It  
made it hard to see too, for that matter.  
  
She remembered how she'd ended up in all that smoke. She had been trying  
to work on her still unfinished thesis and had become extremely frustrated.  
Since it was a lovely day in April and she wasn't making progress on her  
thesis, May left the campus to walk in the neighborhoods just beyond "the   
ivory tower". She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going,   
but her feet seemed to lead her to that particular street. It was her   
natural curiosity that led her to the crowd.  
  
Disasters lead to pandimonium and confusion, someone once told her. And  
that was definitely true at the scene of the fire. People were screaming,  
running, and crying; May got hit by passing people a couple of times as  
she tired to get closer to the the burning house. Then she heard,   
"Somebody help me! My baby, my Melissa is still in there! Somebody help  
me, PLEASE! My baby, my baby!"  
  
Now normally, like all onlookers, May would have been properly saddened   
and worried, but not about to dash into any burning building. This case   
was different. Melissa was the name of a sweet little girl she tutored...  
and the fire was in Melissa's neighborhood. Without really thinking about   
it, May fought through the panicky crowd and dashed into the building.   
The smoke choked and blinded her almost immediately, but she found Melissa   
and was fighting back toward the door...and then...  
  
And then she was here, wherever here was. Hey, at least she could breathe.  
  
"Good. You're awake. Hello, May Lavon Hammond."  
  
May opened her eyes slowly. At first she saw a lot of white, then she  
saw a female in a long white shirt and white pants. The woman's skin was  
the color of peanut butter, making her only slightly lighter in color   
than May herself. She had shoulder length hair that was a reddish-brown  
color, almost bronzy. The woman's hair also seemed to glow. 'Maybe I  
should ask who her hairdresser is,' May thought. The most strikingly  
thing about this woman were eyes. They were brown, but they were kind  
eyes, almost too kind to be believed. The woman smiled, "That was a very   
selfless thing you did down there. It impressed a lot of us here."  
  
"Melissa? Is she-"  
  
"She's fine, May. Not a scratch on her, just some minor smoke inhalation.  
But she'll be fine."  
  
"And me?" May asked as she slowly got up, noticing that there were no  
IVs or any kind of medical equipment in the room at all. She also   
noticed that the room was unnaturally white. "Where am I? What hospital  
am I in?"  
  
The woman standing in front of May smiled again, but it was sad this time.  
"May, you aren't in a hospital."  
  
May looked down at what she was wearing. It was the same thing she put  
on that morning...with no soot or fire damage. That wasn't possible...  
unless..."I'm dead, then?"  
  
Her companion nodded.  
  
Strangely enough, being dead didn't really bother May much...yet. "So,  
is this Heaven or Hell?"  
  
"Neither."  
  
"Is this Purgatory?"  
  
"Of course not, May. You're Protestant, not Catholic. We don't send  
Protestants to Purgatory."  
  
That last statement puzzled May. Now she had a lot of questions and was  
getting a little nervous. "So where -?"  
  
Her companion sat down in front of May and took her hands, which were   
beginning to shake. "I don't mean to frighten you. Let me start over.   
First, my name is Imani, and I'm a proposer. I guess the best way to   
think of me is...well, think of me as a 'Special Projects' angel."  
  
"Like Monica, Tess, and Andrew on 'Touched by an Angel'?"  
  
Imani shrugged, "Well, sort of. Anyway, if you were bound for judgement  
immediately, you'd be asleep right now."  
  
"Asleep?"  
  
Imani smiled, "Yes, May. But you knew this on some level already. Why  
else would dead people look like they are sleeping? Besides that, you  
know the story of Jesus healing Jairus's daughter. Didn't he tell the   
people morning her death that the girl was 'merely sleeping'?"  
  
May slowly nodded her head, still confused. The angel Imani continued,  
"As I was saying, the people who aren't given a proposition sleep until  
the judgement...for the most part...except it is more complicated than  
that. After that, they go onto where they belong."  
  
"So, there is no Heaven or Hell?"  
  
Imani smiled again, "Of course there is, but it is more complicated than  
that. For starters-" Imani paused. Then, as if remembering a time  
constraint, she stood, still holding on to May's head...effectively pulling  
May to her feet. "Well, if I keep running my mouth like this, we'll   
never get to the point. Follow me."  
  
May followed Imani down a long white hall to a white office. After  
stepping inside, May asked, "Why is everything so blindingly white?"  
  
"It is what makes you comfortable."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"This whole area is generated by what would make your spirit comfortable.  
Don't feel bad about the white; most people I talk to see white...well,  
expect for that Lutheran that had the intense interest in all things Goth.  
Anyway, have a seat," Imani finished, pointing to a white rocking chair,  
whose back and arms were made of green ivy.  
  
May sat... or rather sank into the chair, which she also discovered was  
a recliner. "I see what you mean by the comfort thing."  
  
Imani smiled as she sat across from May. "Now, you're being offered a  
unique opportunity. You don't have to take it; and, should you refuse,  
your refusal will not affect your judgement in any way. Neither will   
your acceptance. You were chosen for this opportunity because of who you  
were, what you did to save Melissa, and because of the faith of the family  
you'll be helping."  
  
The middle reason made sense to May. The last seemed a little odd, but  
May just chalked that up to the power of prayer. The first reason Imani gave,  
however, made no sense at all...to the point where it bothered May. She   
didn't think being May merited any special favors. "Because of who I   
was?"  
  
Imani nodded, "Most souls live and die in one life. In a few special souls,   
however, is a fission or part that has appeared more than once. In your   
case, it has appeared three times. And, like most people carrying a   
fission, you have stuck near your bases of origin in each life."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, the first time your fission popped up, its home was where Richmond,  
England is now. Remember how tied you felt to London and the Thames when  
you visited in your most current lifetime?"  
  
May nodded.  
  
"And the second time your fission appeared, it was born in the county   
closest to your most recent hometown...and - well, let's put it this way.   
Remember how tied you felt to Jamestown? And how that year when you   
watched the Colonial ships sail into port, it felt odd because you   
thought you should be on one sailing away?"  
  
May nodded again. She remembered thinking that feeling of wrongness  
mixed with deja vu was a little odd at the time, but she had chalked it  
up to being a native Virginian who loved colonial history. Imani's  
mention of it raised a few more questions. "But I don't understand. Who-"  
  
Imani looked at the confused May with compassion, "Your people named you  
Matoaka, but the world came to know you as one of the saviors of   
Jamestown, the Indian princess-"  
  
"Pocahontas," May breathed. "I was Pocahontas?"  
  
"Part of your soul was Pocahontas. You aren't the same people, although   
you are similar. Remember that."  
  
May nodded.  
  
"So would you like to hear about this opportunity?"  
  
"I'll admit, I'm curious." And frightened and suspious and totally confused,  
May added in her head. She didn't say this aloud because...well, one   
doesn't talk to an angel like that. She was beginning to understand how  
Mary felt when the angel Gabriel visited her. But Mary didn't have to  
deal with being dead on top of her news.  
  
Imani paused for a moment and smiled, almost as if she knew that May was  
totally confused. "May, I promise that everything you need to know you  
know already or I'll tell you soon. I'll just tell you the background  
and you can decide what you want to do. Okay?" Imani smiled and patteMay on the shoulder before she walked around to sit at the desk beside   
May's chair. "Okay, let me give you the background. A long time ago,   
Earth was ruled by a royal family. The family was responsible and kind   
with a strong faith in the Creator you call God. This king and   
queen were blessed with a properous planet, few problems, and three sons   
who had all found love like the ones their parents shared.  
  
"But a powerful nearby empire took a greedy interest in the planet and   
sought to force Earth into its empire via an alliance. In the best   
interest of its people, the Earth royal family did much to protect its  
planet, even agreeing to the tough terms of the alliance. But evil saw  
its opening and took it, ending the lives of many innocents.  
  
"The leader of the nearby empire had at her disposal someone with the   
ability to move through different dimensions and time. She charged  
this time walker to arrange the future to best benefit her daughter.  
This time walker acted accordingly. Among the things she did was to   
scatter the Earth royals and their loves across dimensions and time-"  
  
"And God, MY God, just LET this happen?" May asked, outraged. 'Who were  
these people who just thought they could interfere with time, with God's  
plan? Who asks someone to screw with the universe to for their own  
benefit? And surely people just couldn't up and interfere with God's plan,  
could they?'  
  
"Let it happen? Yes. Approved of it? No. Time and the events within  
it are His domain, for a variety of good reasons. But He allowed this   
to happened so He could place fissions of souls in necessary places  
according to His will. In other words, God used this to place the members  
of the royal family where and when they were most needed."  
  
Hearing that calmed May down a little. 'God's plan happens in spite of  
everything. At least this is something that I can understand. But the  
rest of this...' May tuned back in as she realized that Imani was   
continuing.   
  
"Lately, however, this time walker is becoming very smug. In order to right  
one of the wrongs this time walker committed and to put her on notice  
that she is being watched and judged, you are given the opportunity to   
become a time walker for a month to reunite the sons of the royal family.  
Do you accept?"  
  
May stared at Imani. It was a lot to be thrown at a person all at once.  
On top of this, her head was spinning with lots of unanswered questions.   
'This is everything I need to know? Yeah, right.' May thought. It was  
very hard to have coherent thoughts. And no wonder! Her beliefs had  
been proved, disproved, and confused all in about twenty minutes.   
She realized it all wasn't about her. It was about this poor family.   
This was probably the result of prayers from the queen. Yet, one question  
still had to be answered for May, before she could put anything in   
perspective, before she could make a decision. "But why me?"  
  
Imani smiled and there was a twinkle in her eye this time, as if she knew  
something that May did not. "A fission of your soul was alive when this  
family ruled. Part of you knows the whole family well. That fission will  
help you talk to the sons once you find them...should you accept."  
  
May sighed. Three brothers torn apart by a power play. A planet destroyed  
by greed. It she could help this royal family in any way, she would.   
She would want someone to help her family if the situations were reversed.  
Besides, hadn't she been praying for God to use her? This just wasn't  
what she had had in mind when she prayed. 'It pays to be specific,' May  
thought to herself. What she actually said aloud was, "I accept."  
  
Imani smiled, "Thank you, May. Now take a look at the screen behind you  
while I tell you more about the three princes, scattered across three  
dimensions."  
  
A picture of a young dark haired male appeared. He was wearing what looked  
like a green uniform of some kind. "This is the youngest, Prince Arlington.  
In this incarnation, the person who holds the fission is known as   
Urameshi Yusuke, that is Yusuke Urameshi to you. He has a bit of a foul  
mouth and a temper. He is also a spirit detective in this dimension.  
You can contact him at any point in his life, but he'll probably be more  
likely to believe you after he's become a spirit detective than before he  
does."  
  
A second picture flashed up. Like the first young man, this one also had  
dark hair. This new picture was somewhat older than the first, maybe  
around the age of 17. "This is the middle son, Prince Termaine, in this  
incarnation the person holding his fission is known as Terry McGinnis.  
Terry has a history of being what some would call a juveline delinquent,  
much like Yusuke actually, except that Terry grew out of it...with some  
help from a juveline detention facility.  
  
"Terry now has a new 'after school job'. He is Batman, a masked superhero  
for the city of Gotham, although not necessarily well liked by the police.  
He has strong protection instincts and is very loyal. I'd keep that in  
mind."  
  
The picture changed for the third time. May laughed to herself as she  
looked at the latest picture. Talk, dark and handsome seemed to be the  
theme of these pictures. Okay, Yusuke wasn't all that tall, but he was  
the youngest.   
  
"This," Imani continued, "is the heir apparent, Prince Endymion, known  
to many in this incarnation as Chiba Mamoru, again Mamoru Chiba to you.  
The plus here is that Mamoru knows that he is Prince Endymion and is   
aware of the existence of time walkers. The drawback is that this   
dimension, which is, incidently, the same dimension in which you lived   
as May, is most heavily manipulated by the rogue time walker. Endymion  
doesn't remember his parents from this lifetime or from his life as   
prince. All he knows is heavily influenced by the 'reality' created by  
the time walker for the benefit of the empress's daughter. He knows   
nothing of his brothers or his former love."  
  
As the screen went black, Imani got up and walked across the room to  
a closet. She opened it and pulled out a staff with what looked like an  
axe and a crystal ball fused together on the end.  
  
"There are a few rules," Imani said as she held the staff. "First, you  
have a month. Exactly four weeks. That's it. As this entire situation  
proves, giving anyone unlimited sway over time is a bad idea, hence the  
time limit. Anyway, before the end of the month, you must return everyone   
to their correct dimensions. This won't take more than four seconds, but   
you need to make sure you have those four seconds.  
  
"Second, you cannot force anyone to go with you. All of the sons have a  
right to refuse. No kidnapping.  
  
"Third, this opportunity is for uniting the royals only. No 'fixing'  
other tragedies. This is not the time to see what would have happened  
if Malcolm X wasn't shot or if LBJ had pulled out of Vietnam early.  
And no side trips to Florida to see what would have happened if Al Gore  
became president in 2000." At this Imani smiled, "We know you, May. So  
no helping."  
  
"Fourth, while you can wear anything appropriate in whatever dimension  
you are in, you must wear the standard uniform when walking time or  
using the staff." Imani tossed May the outfit.  
  
May held it up and stared at it. "It's a sailor unifom...except the  
skirt is practically non-existant! And it is skin tight! And why is  
is it white, pink, and navy?"  
  
Imani smiled, "There is a reason for that, which you'll see during your  
journey. Also, be careful. Although the empress's time walker won't  
notice you right away, she will eventually. And she may react as if  
you are a threat. Be prepared to defend yourself.  
  
"Finally, May, don't forget your faith and ethics. You'll need them   
when you make decisions."  
  
Imani tossed May a watch and the staff, "The watch will count down the  
month for you. It starts as soon as you enter the realm of time. You'll  
have a space outside of time to view dimensions and make decisions."  
Imani smiled, "Good luck, May."  
  
'I'm probably gonna need it,' May thought.   
  
- to be continued -  
  
Hello everyone. Yes, I know I should be working on Not All Masks, but I'm  
a little stuck at the moment. I promise I'll get back to it soon.  
  
Anyway, the above is a prologue for a massive cross-over I've started  
with Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakesho, and Batman Beyond. It is a rather huge  
undertaking, especially since I introduced the original characters of May  
and Imani. So, I actually need your help...with several things.  
  
First, I really want opinions on this prologue. What did you think? Did  
parts of it confuse you? What doesn't make sense? More than likely this  
will take longer than a few sentences. Please feel free to email me (my  
address is in my profile). At this point, I'll even take flames, as long  
as there is some useful content in them. This is my first cross-over and  
I want to be fair to all the series involved.  
  
Second, I need a few beta readers. Qualifications: knowledge of Yu Yu   
Hakesho, Batman Beyond, and/or Sailor Moon; honesty (if something is  
wrong or awful, I need to know); and good writing and editing skills.  
Experience is a plus, but not essential. If you are interested, please   
email me.  
  
Thank you in advance for your help and support. I'm very excited about  
this undertaking. Also, if you have any questions about some of the  
references I made in the story, please let me know so that I can make them  
clearer.  
~December 


	2. Dimension One: Of Spirits and Detectives

Dimension 1: Of Spirits and Detectives  
  
It was six days into the first week and May was finally ready to confront  
son number one. During her first four days in her "office" outside of   
time, she learned about the extent of her powers. She had unlimited   
money and influence in any dimension she entered. She could appear and  
disappear from a dimension and she'd only be a slight memory to some.  
She could appear anywhere at anytime and stop almost anything. 'No wonder  
God doesn't want us playing with this ability,' May thought as she learned  
these things. 'Think of the damage we could do!'  
  
After getting a hold of her new abilities, she spent a day studying the   
life of one Yusuke Urameshi. (series summary here) 'Sweet guy, but I would have washed his   
mouth out with soup and beat him over the head several times by now,'  
May thought as she watched his life. Although he came through for his  
friends, he was rude, smart mouthed, and usually in denial about the   
imporant people in his life. He obviously loved Keiko, saw Kuwabara as  
a friend (and rival), and relyed on Botan as an equal partner. And calling  
a noted physic "old hag"...sometimes the boy wasn't that smart. You'd   
think that dying once would straighten him out. It had that affect on  
May.  
  
May sighed as she watched his life. She was trying to decide when and  
how to enter his life and offer him a chance to meet his brothers. She  
had ruled out appearing at his school as a teacher or student and trying  
to get his attention that way. Yusuke would pay no attention to her; she  
wouldn't be a part of his circle of life. She also couldn't display the  
kind of spirit energy that would get him to pay attention to her...and even  
if she did, he'd probably attack first and ask questions later.  
  
That left intervening in one of his spirit detective missions. At first she   
thought she'd pull him from that spooky looking castle of the four saint  
beasts, when he and his friends were holding up the ceiling while being taunted by that eye monster, but she  
decided that was dangerous. If she re-inserted Yusuke at the wrong time  
that wall would come crashing down on all four of them. And even if she  
put Yusuke back in at the right moment, the break in concentration could  
send the ceiling crashing down.  
  
Frustrated, May had looked back through all of Yusuke's missions until   
something jumped out at her. When Yusuke was fighting in the tournament  
staged by the noted physic Genki...there was an odd occurance. Admittedly,  
Yusuke wasn't really interested in winning the appreniship with Genki, the  
prize of the touranment. It was more about staying alive, beating Kuwabara,  
and getting Botan's bribe; yet one fluke that saved him seemed...odd. In   
his battle with Kazumara Yusuke ran toward his opponent, determined   
to take them both out. Suddenly, he seemed to disappear. Then, when all   
the smoke cleared, his opponent lay out for the count and Yusuke was   
stuck in a puddle. "But how is that possible? Yusuke was nowhere near   
that puddle when he was running, unless...unless this is where I pulled   
him from and I placed him back in that puddle."  
  
With that, May decided that this would be where she pulled Yusuke from,  
apparently saving his life in the process. May opened the door to   
Yusuke's dimension and prepared to take a leap...and a leap of faith.  
She only had two days before the second week; she didn't have much time   
to spend convincing Yusuke. And she wasn't really sure she could do it.  
  
****  
  
The onlookers of the battle looked on in horror as they finally realized  
what Yusuke was planning. It was crazy, but Yusuke was running full  
speed at his opponent hoping that he could take them both out.  
  
But that not what happened.   
  
As Yusuke ran, time suddenly seemed to stop. He felt like he was pulled  
off of his feet and...almost placed somewhere. Then he heard a  
battle cry that sound like, "Ha!" and saw a strange woman knock those  
Nijna throwing stars, or Yusuke-seeking exploding boomerangs at his   
opponent.  
  
That odd action was followed by the woman saying, "Now this proves I   
watch way too much Justice League. When did I decide I was Hawk Girl,  
anyway?"  
  
Yusuke shouted angrily from his...position, "Lady, do you have any idea   
what you just interrupted?!"  
  
"The Genki tournament, you mean? Yes, I knew exactly what I was doing."  
  
Yusuke stared at the strange woman with the strange staff and even stranger  
outfit. "Oh, what the hell is this?"  
  
"An opportunity for you."  
  
"Look lady, I'm -"  
  
The woman sent him a frustrated look as she cut him off, "My name is May.  
And I know, you're a spirit detective. Don't worry sweetie, this   
opportunity will not get in the way of your day job. I just need your   
help."  
  
"You need my help."  
  
"Yes, I need your help. Evil as ripped apart a family and I'm trying to  
put them back together. I need your help to do it."  
  
"Lady, you got the wrong guy," Yusuke said as he turned to leave the crazy  
lady...  
  
...Only to be stopped by the very menacing blade on the woman's staff,  
"Look, I don't have time to deal with your issues. The evil I'm fighting  
has helped to destroy the planet before. I heard you were the best  
fighter around, now if I'm wrong, I'll just ask someone else. I've heard  
some say that your friend, Kuwabara, could beat you up with one hand  
tied behind his back. Maybe I should ask him."  
  
"Oh hell, no. I could pulverize Kuwabara without blinking. If you want  
the best fighter, you want me, lady."  
  
"So you'll help me?" May asked, hopefully. She felt a little guilty  
about bending the truth as much as she had at this point, but she didn't  
have the time to explain everything. She'd deal with explanations and  
tempers later.  
  
"What's in it for me?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me. What's in it for me? I'm only in this tournament for the  
tickets Botan promise me. Now what's in it for me?"  
  
"I offer you the chance to fight for truth, justice and the Am- well,  
for the right way, and you want me to give you something for it?!"  
  
Yusuke just crossed his arms and stared at her.  
  
"Okay, fine. I'll grant your fondest wish sometime in the future."  
  
"So I get to make a wish and-"  
  
"Yusuke, I already know what the wish is, and yes I know your name too.  
Get over it."  
  
"How do I know you'll-"  
  
"Come on Urameshi, what have you got to lose? You'll get to prove what  
a great fighter you are, you'll get to come back here and get your  
bribe from Botan, and you'll have something to look forward to in the  
future....Unless of course you are scared-"  
  
"I'm not scared! Bring it on, lady."  
  
May smiled, "If you insist." She took Yusuke's arm and pulled him behind  
her. "Follow me and hold on tight."  
  
One down, two to go, three weeks left.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Desperately seeking a Yu Yu Hakesho beta reader. Please email me if you  
are interested. Also, Yu Yu Hakesho and Justice League do not belong to  
me. Neither do Sailor Moon or Batman Beyond. May and any errors are mine,  
however. Please don't use May or Imani without permission. Thanks for  
reading.  
~December 


	3. Dimension Two: A Not So Bright Future

Dimension two: The not so bright future  
  
May sighed with relief sitting her new office in this dimension. It was  
two days into week two, and she was just happy to get away from Yusuke for  
awhile. The boy was driving her up the wall. This was partly her fault  
for not telling him the whole story in the beginning. That and not  
bringing him along for this trip. But honestly, she did not have time to  
constantly bail him out of Gotham City jail, which is what would have   
happened had she brought him with her this week.  
  
Also, she was glad to have a break from the dreams. After bringing  
Yusuke back with her, she went to sleep. It was a rather brave thing to  
do with a pissed off Yusuke in the room, but she was tired. Apparently,  
so was Yusuke, because he was asleep when she first woke up. As she  
woke, the dream still stayed in her mind's eye.  
  
She could see them all, all of the sons. Each had their arm around a   
woman. Surprisingly, May could name them all. Yusuke had an arm around   
Lady Keiko. Tremaine had an arm around a concerned Lady Maxine, who  
happened to be a countess. Endymion had an arm around a concerned and  
resigned looking Lady Daniella, a duchess. There were also three other  
people in the room; May could only see one of them, who looked a lot   
like the Botan from Yusuke's dimension, the same strange light blue hair,  
the same attitude. At least she wasn't floating like she tended to in  
Yusuke's dimension. The dream was already weird enought without it...due  
mainly to the pieces of conversation that May could hear.   
  
First a female voice, sounding stressed and worried, was talking. All  
May could catch were snatches. "...wants stronger alliance...one of my sons"  
  
"...go..." responded a male voice. It'd sounded resigned. Many of the  
voices in the room sounded resigned.  
  
Well, they all sounded resigned except for the voice that shouted something  
in response. Although the voice was loud and angry, all that made sense to  
May was "...enough for...witch!"  
  
"Endy...for...people." This last voice intrigued May the most. It was   
female, sad...yet strong. The voice also seemed was comforting...or at   
least trying to be. Obviously, the voice was trying to get people to  
accept a difficult decision.  
  
May woke up frustrated. What was that supposed to tell her? And why did  
she feel like she was there?  
  
Of course, then Yusuke woke up and confronted her about messing with his  
head. In the shouting match that followed, it came out that he had had  
the same dream. That promoted May to tell the shortened version of her  
mission and to explain who Yusuke was. He didn't take it well. He also  
didn't take well that May was going to confront Terry by herself. She  
wasn't really sure why Yusuke was upset about being left behind...unless  
he felt he was being cut out of the action. He didn't respond well to the  
story about the brothers...so May was pretty sure that he wasn't angry  
about not being able to meet Terry right away. In the end she told   
Yusuke just to watch the show from the video screen. From there he could   
watch her attempt to talk Terry into coming with them.  
  
Now, with Terry she had a completely different approach. He'd have a hard  
time buying the idea of time walkers or a reincarnated prince. He was also  
more observant than Yusuke, so she could enter his world and get him to   
notice her. And she was going to enter his world. Both of them. Starting  
with his life as Terry McGinnis.  
  
***  
  
Terry grumbled as he walked to the counselor's office. The school had  
just hired a new counselor, who supposedly wanted to meet with every   
student "just to talk". After the whole Spellbinder incident, Terry  
wasn't one to trust counselors. And this one, wanting to meet with each  
student in the school, just made him suspicious. But since he was ordered  
by the principal and didn't want to rock the boat too much, he was   
standing out in front of the counselor's office.  
  
Terry knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," a female voice said on the other end.  
  
"You wanted to see me," Terry said as he lounged in the doorway.  
  
"You must be Terry McGinnis. Yes, I did want to see you. Come in; have  
a seat."  
  
Terry sat down and crossed his arms, staring hard at the female counselor.  
"Can we-"  
  
"Get this over with?" the counselor asked. "Well, not if you insist on  
being this closed up the entire time we talk."  
  
Terry's eyes just narrowed further.  
  
"I realize you don't trust me, Mr. McGinnis. After what that last   
counselor put you and the other students through, I honestly don't blame  
you-"  
  
"They told you about that?"  
  
"Of course the school officials told me about that when they hired me. It  
would only be fair that I knew what I was up against, right?" The   
counselor paused slightly and then continued, "Look, Mr. McGinnis, all  
I'm asking for is a chance."  
  
"Shouldn't you have to earn that?"  
  
"No one earns all the trust they are given. Some trust is given freely so  
that people have the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of it. So,  
will you talk to me?"  
  
Terry crossed his arms further and stared at the counselor.  
  
She sighed, "This isn't working, is it?" The counselor got up and walked  
around the desk. She paused as if trying to recall training. After a   
moment she took a deep breath and said, "Let's try this another way.   
Good afternoon, Mr. McGinnis. My name is Dr. Lavon Grayson and I need   
your help."  
  
Terry continued to stare at her. Dr. Grayson sighed, "Mr. McGinnis.   
Terry. In about 20 minutes another boy named Tyler is going to come   
through that door to talk to me. Tyler just lost his father. I know you   
lost your dad in the past year, and I want your advice. What should I   
say to him?"  
  
Terry's eyes went wide...then his gaze grew shuttered. If it were   
possible, he seemed to put more emotional distance between himself and the  
counselor. In a sarcastic and suspicious tone, he asked, "Isn't there   
some psycho-babble you were taught to prattle off in these instances?"  
  
"Of course there is. I'm just among those who think that psychobabble  
isn't necessarily helpful. You've got to get through before you help.   
I mean, what was the one thing you wished people had said to you?"  
  
Terry looked at the counselor with a haunted look in his eyes. At first,  
it didn't appear as if he would answer. He silently stood up and walked   
to the door, stopping to turn around and say quietly, "I wished someone   
had told me that he understood. That he understood and loved me anyway."  
With that, Terry left.  
  
*****  
It was a typical night for the dark knight. Stop a few break-ins. Have  
a run-in with a gang of Jokers. Same old, same old. Yet, something had  
felt wrong all night. He just couldn't put his finger on it.  
  
"Wayne, you there?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"It was just some prank of the Jokers. Nothing I couldn't handle."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"Hey, look, it's quiet out. Think I could stop patrols early? I could  
use an early night. I haven't seen Dana in awhile."  
  
"McGinnis-"  
  
"Let me guess, no such luck, huh? I suppose you'll tell me something like  
it's always quiet before the storm."  
  
"Usually is."  
  
"Great. Do I ever get a vaca-" Terry stopped suddenly. That feeling was  
getting on his nerves.  
  
"What is it, McGinnis?"  
  
"Is there any other activity in this area?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"I don't know. I've just felt like I've been watched all night."  
  
"And no one's around?"  
  
"Not a soul."  
  
"Come back to base. Maybe the suit has picked up something. And be  
careful."  
  
"On my way."  
  
Leaving the alley, Batman didn't hear the light sounds of high heels and   
a staff hitting the ground. Nor did he see the figure in the shadows...  
who had been watching him all night.  
  
******  
  
"So, what do you think of the new counselor?" the black female asked her  
best friend.  
  
"Max, she's only been here two days!" Terry replied.  
  
"And the whole school is raving about her. I hear she's very shway. And  
very young."  
  
"Max, everyone is talking about her because she's talked to practically  
everyone in the last two days."  
  
"I take it you don't trust her."  
  
Terry threw Max a look, "Let's just say I remember what happened to our  
last school counselor."  
  
"Terry! All school counselors are not undiscovered Spellbinders!"  
  
"No, just the ones who insist on meeting with everyone."  
  
"Well, I'm going to go meet her."  
  
"Max-"  
  
"Besides, I think she's meeting with Chelsea right now. Chelsea said   
something about it to me and Dana. And Ter, we both know what a piece   
of work Chelsea can be. Let's see how Dr. Grayson handles her."  
  
"Now, Max-"  
  
"Oh, lighten up, Ter."  
  
*****  
May had a headache. Two days posing as a school counselor and she had only  
had that one unproductive conversation with Terry. So here she was, no   
closer to son number two than she than she was when she started and out  
of her league in her current position.  
  
As School counselor she dealt with all kinds of problem teens, e.g.  
suicidal teens, bullies, delinquents. She wasn't trained for this and   
it was driving her crazy!  
  
Case in point, the student in front of her, Chelsea. The girl came out  
of a pretty well off family and was clearly spoiled. Yet she had this   
awful habit of attention grabbing, pulling all kinds of stunts and   
running over a lot of people in the process.  
  
May sighed, "So why this constant need for attention, Chelsea?"  
  
The blonde gave her a dirty look, "Look, I have a rep to maintain here in  
high school. You DO remember high school, right?"  
  
"Actually, I do. I remember its stratification tendencies, the   
'untouchables', the 'invisibles', the 'invincible'. Those who rule,  
those who were run over and those who stayed out of the way. High  
school can be brutal."  
  
"So you know how important it is not to fall from among the powerful."  
  
"At this stage in life, maybe. But what about later? Let me let you in  
on a little secret. After high school, your place in the high school  
hierarchy means nothing. Hey, people can even overcome their reps while  
still in high school. Being important in high school is really not that  
important in the long run."  
  
Chelsea sighed, "You're too old to get it."  
  
"Well, then explain it to me. In detail, if possible, because I never  
understood it in high school either. Explain popularity."  
  
"Explain popularity?"  
  
"Yes, explain it. Why is it so important to be thought of a certain  
way or have the next shway thing? What's the appeal of having following  
and constantly having to maintain an image-"  
  
A knock sounded at the door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
The door opened and a young black female with bright pink hair stuck her  
head in. Just beyond her, May could see Terry standing in the hallway.  
"Dr. Grayson, I - oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were with someone. I  
just came to make an appointment to meet with you."  
  
May took a deep breath, "Do you mind, Chelsea? This will only take a   
minute."  
  
The teen shook her head.  
  
May walked back around her desk. She looked at the new arrival again,  
and noticed that she looked almost exactly like Tremaine's lady in her  
dreams...well, expect all of her hair was all pink and in a short haircut   
instead of being brown, in a long braid style with a pink streak woven  
through. Regardless, this teen looked so much like Maxine, May had to  
blink and try to re-focus.   
  
May looked back at her appointment book quickly, vaguely glancing at the   
names of the students that she had yet to meet. Yet, even though she   
tried to re-orient herself, she heard herself asking, "Maxine?" before  
she could catch herself.  
  
Luckily, the teen laughed, "Well, Maxine is my given name. But everyone  
calls me Max."  
  
"Okay Max. When do you want to talk to me?"  
  
"Well, I have a study hall sixth period."  
  
May checked her date book. "That's fine. I'll see you then, Max."  
  
*****  
"Do you think I could get the night off to catch up some sleep?" Terry  
asked as he stood in the bat cave next to Bruce Wayne.  
  
"It's always something with you, McGinnis."  
  
"Sorry, it's just that I practically passed out during history and had...  
like a vision of sorts."  
  
"Tamara trying to contact you again?"  
  
Terry thought back for a moment to the young girl with mind powers  
who contacted him through visions to save her. He thought he was  
blitzing out then too. Amazingly, however, although his current  
dreams were more 'normal' in form, they made him much more uncomfortable.  
He wasn't sure why. After a pause, he answered Mr. Wayne, "No, it was   
different. It was set in...well from my best guess, the past. I was   
someone important, running around in some armor, a cape, and a  
sword. Max was there in some kind of court dress, and there were other  
people around. We were talking, fighting about something-" Terry sighed,  
"You probably just think I'm blitzing out on you."  
  
"Not necessarily. I've learned that dreams can be important."  
  
"Yeah, but I bet your dreams were part of some plot of one of the freak  
jobs you fought."  
  
"On occasion."  
  
"So what do I do now?"  
  
"Don't you have patrols?"  
  
"You are so supportive, Wayne. You know that, right?" Terry said   
sarcastically.  
  
"Get going, McGinnis."  
  
Suddenly, the computer started beeping. Terry turned back to the  
computer screen. "What's up?"  
  
"Distress signal from DiaCorp Central. There is a lot of sensitive   
technology and government experiments housed there."  
  
"On my way."  
  
*****  
May stood in the shadows on the roof in her second guise for this   
dimension. She was a little nervous in that she was not in time walking  
uniform, which meant she have to rely on her own strength and agility.  
The last time she "died" it was kind of painful...and she had realized  
over the course of this assignment that she wasn't immune to pain. She  
just wished she hadn't learned this by slipping and falling down a flight  
of steps. 'I'm sure Yusuke got a kick out of that,' she thought to   
herself.  
  
Having that distress signal to show up on the bat cave computer took a bit of  
work. The former Batman had some impressive hardware...and May was   
barely computer literate. May sighed. She knew she was playing a very  
dangerous game. This whole thing could blow up in her face. She looked  
down at what she was wearing. This whole Catwoman inspired outfit may  
not have been her best decision either. It seemed a whole lot easier in her  
mind when she had thought this up. Hack into Bat computer. Send fake   
distress signal. Explain to Batman when he arrives. It was much smarter  
than actually getting into trouble and waiting for Batman to find and   
save her...and more ethical than starting trouble to get Batman's   
attention. Now she was beginning to feel like the girl who cried 'Wolf!'.  
  
She heard him land before she saw him. As he made his way to the door  
that would lead down into the building, she stepped out of the shadows.  
"There is no distress here, Batman. I sent for you."  
  
The dark knight spun around...and stared at her, "A little devious and  
dangerous, don't you think?"  
  
"Since the Bat signal seems to be passé, what would you have suggested   
that I do?"  
  
"Depends on why you wanted to see me."  
  
"I need your help."  
  
"And I have a job to do. Creating fake problems to get my attention is  
not a good idea."  
  
"Look, at least hear me out."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"In this incarnation? Just call me Shadow."  
  
Batman's eyes narrowed, "Just what are you playing at?"   
  
At that point, a scream ripped through the night. Batman through his  
companion on the roof a dirty look, "That would be real trouble." With  
that, he blasted off the roof toward the distressed sound.  
  
"Damn, I was afraid of this," May said. She grabbed something that looked  
like a gun from the belt around her waist and fired it at a nearby building.  
"After tonight, I'm gonna hate heights." Then May jumped off the building   
after him.  
  
She arrived at the scene about two minutes after Batman. In a glance she  
took in the problem. A woman lay on the ground, beaten and practically  
dying. And Batman was vastly outnumbered by a bunch of hoods in...clown  
make-up? "I think I miss the good old-fashioned crime that I saw back  
home," May murmured before she plunged into the fight. Between the two  
of them, all of the gang was either knocked out on the ground or running   
away within three minutes. After the threat was gone, Batman ran over  
to the victim with May trailing behind him.  
  
"How is she?" May asked.  
  
"How does she look?! She's really fucked up. It wouldn't have been this  
bad if I was doing patrols instead of answering fake distress calls!"  
  
That point pricked May's conscience. Since she didn't know what to say,  
she thought to try and make Batman feel better. "You can't blame yourself   
for this. It's not your fault."  
  
"No, it is your fault, Shadow. Grandstand somewhere else." Angry, Batman  
moved to fly off.  
  
May decided to pull out the big guns, "Terry, wait."  
  
At that, Batman turned. "What did you call me?"  
  
May's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you heard me. Look, I know all about you.   
I actually came looking for you specifically. That distress call may have  
been faked, but I do need your help. We can either talk here as the   
police begin to arrive-" As if to underline this point, sirens could be  
heard in the distance, "Or we can talk at a safe place of your choosing."  
  
Batman threw her a dirty look.  
  
"Batman. Terry. I mean no harm to you or to the ones you love. I   
promise."  
  
Batman paused, still looking as if he would take off. He turned back to  
stare at Shadow. 'I don't trust her. But she knows who I am, and if she  
was willing to create a fake distress signal, what else would she be willing  
to do to get my attention? And who would she be willing to hurt? It's safer  
if I talk to her like this...at least in the Batsuit I can fight back.'   
"Alright," he said to the woman in front of him, "come with me."  
  
*****  
  
May looked around the room where they were. "Okay, this is a deserted  
warehouse. Plan to leave me for dead?"  
  
"Let's just say I don't trust you."  
  
"My asking for help was real enough." May sighed. "Look, all I'm trying  
to do is to reunite a family. If you promise to listen...for the sake  
of the family, not for me, I'll abide by whatever decision you make in   
the end."  
  
"Alright, I'm listening."  
  
May took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know where to start."  
  
"The beginning is usually a good place."  
  
"Yeah, usually. The problem is, I'm not really sure where the beginning  
of this story is." May paused. "Okay, let me try to explain it this   
way. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"  
  
"Who are you? Are you messing with my had as some sort of game?"  
  
"No." May sighed. "I guess, to be fair, I should take off my mask and  
explain who I am. Although, I'm pretty sure that is going to make things  
worse." After looking at Batman for a few moments, May reached around   
and took off her mask.  
  
"Dr. Grayson?!"  
  
"Yes and no. My name is May Lavon Hammond and I'm a grad student, not  
a doctor. I took on that role...and this one in order to get to you,   
Terry."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Not to hurt you, if that's what you think. Almost two weeks ago, I was  
offered the opportunity to reunite a scattered family; three brothers that  
had been separated on purpose. It required me to travel to different  
universes. I agreed to help and quickly went to the first dimension to  
find the youngest brother.  
  
"Shortly after returning with him, I had a strange dream. In the dream I  
saw the whole family...or at least all three brothers and the loves of  
their lives. It startled me awake. Within minutes of my waking up, the  
brother that was with me woke up and immediately confronted me about a  
dream he just had. Amazingly, it was the same dream I had. I honestly  
think that all the brothers had that dream.  
  
"So, I'll ask again. Have you had any strange dreams lately?"  
  
"Wait. So you're saying that I'm one of these brothers? I don't buy  
it, lady. I have a family already, thanks."  
  
May groaned about halfway through Terry's response, "He called me 'lady'.  
Great, it's genetic." May rolled her eyes...but quickly refocused herself.  
"Yes, in this life, this incarnation you have a family. Your mother,  
Mary. Your brother, Matt. Your late father. But a long time ago, part  
of you lived and you had another family: a mother, a father, an older  
brother, and a younger brother. That's the family I'm trying to put  
back together!"  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then Batman looked at May and said, "You  
honestly expect me to believe this?"  
  
"I take it you want proof? Okay, but you may want to sit down; this will  
probably shock you. You have been warned." May closed her eyes and   
concentrated. 'This worked in trials, hopefully it will work now.'  
  
As May concentrated, a transformation took place. The Catwoman-like  
costume melted away, leaving in its place that revealing sailor outfit  
and a pair of spike heels. Her rather intimidating staff appeared in  
her right hand. After a few seconds, May opened her eyes...  
  
...to see a rather shocked Batman in front of her. He was standing when  
she started the transformation; he was sitting now. For a few moments he  
couldn't even speak. Finally, he managed a "Whoa."   
  
"Believe me now?"  
  
Batman nodded. Although technology was extremely advanced, they was nothing  
he'd seen, even as Batman, that could do what this woman just did. After a   
few moments of silence, where Terry mentally adjusted to the story he had been  
ready to reject, he asked, "To meet these so called brothers of mine, I'd have   
to leave here, right?"  
  
"Yes, but I have some temporary sway over time. I can return you right  
to this spot in time when everything is over. No one will miss you,"  
May paused. "And no one will get hurt in your absence." May held out  
her hand, "If you want to come with me, just take my hand."  
  
As Batman reached for May's hand, he asked, "Do I need to get clothes  
for the trip?"  
  
"Don't worry about clothing. I'll take care of that. Besides, as shway  
as the bat suit is, I can't have you running around different dimensions   
in that."  
  
As the two stepped out of time, May thought to herself, 'Two down, one  
to go. And two weeks in the most dangerous dimension in this trip.'  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Wow. Yeah, this chapters a little long. Hope I did justice to Terry.  
And yeah, I raised more questions that I answered. Maybe I should write  
a sequel? *ducks flying objects* Or maybe not.  
  
I'm still looking for beta-readers. Please email me if you are interested,  
or if you have feedback of any kind. Thanks for reading.  
~December 


	4. Dimension Three: Of Apple Pie and Pocky

Dimension three: Of Apple Pie and Pocky  
Part 1: That morning, Day 1  
  
As Reika walked away from the arcade, she allowed her smile to slip. It  
was tiring pretending to be happy about her upcoming wedding. It just...  
didn't feel right. It wasn't that Motoki wasn't a great guy. He was,   
probably even better than she deserved. Lately, however, a part of her,   
albeit small, was rebelling against the idea of marrying anyone  
but- well, she wasn't sure who Mr. Right was supposed to be. Reika  
sighed. Just one more thing to ponder as she continued in her search  
for a wedding dress.  
  
She had tossed the idea about calling off the whole thing...more times  
than she cared to remember. In the end, she just couldn't do it. Motoki  
was so happy...and he really cared about her. Add to this fact that she  
had invested time into this relationship...and she wasn't getting any  
younger. She did want a family of her own. All in all, these doubts were  
something that everyone went through...weren't they? She had it all; it  
would be stupid to throw it away over what must be jitters.  
  
'And anyway, "some day my prince will come" was just a phrase from an animatec  
American movie,' Reika thought to herself as she entered the bridal shop.  
  
*****  
"I still don't understand why you jumped right into this dimension.   
Wouldn't it have been better to take a look at his life a little first?"  
Terry asked May as she followed him and Yusuke down the street.  
  
"What good would it have done? I watched Yusuke's life and I still had   
to threaten and bribe him to come along."  
  
"Hey-"  
  
"And I watched your life too, Terry. And I still spent two days wandering  
around your life dealing with your mistrust. I honestly thought that I  
was better off going in with just the basics. Besides, the time walker  
who separated the three of you holds sway in this dimension. At this   
point, I'd like to stay out of her way, thanks."  
  
"So that means I have to walk around town with the pansy?" Yusuke asked,  
throwing Terry a look of disgust.  
  
"Yeah. What good is inflicting the twip on me and this dimension's  
Tokyo going to do?" Terry asked as he shot Yusuke an equally disgusted  
look.  
  
"Hey! Look-"  
  
"Boys! Would you stop it please? At least pretend to act your age! I'm  
not being paid to baby-sit!"  
  
Actually, one of the main reasons she jumped into this space without  
research was that she thought that both Yusuke and Terry needed some air.  
That, and she didn't trust that the two wouldn't kill each other if left  
alone.  
  
When she reappeared at her office with Terry, Yusuke immediately lit into  
them. Turning to May, he said, "You're telling me I'm related this  
costume wearing wimp?"  
  
Terry pulled of his mask and looked at May, a little confused, "What's  
got that twip so upset?"  
  
"What in the hell did he just say?!"  
  
May sighed. The language barrier. Since she had been traveling one  
dimension at a time, she hadn't had a problem. Now all of them would  
need translation help.  
  
Giving the boys a dirty look with a finger to her lips, the interdimensional  
sign for "shut up", May went to the closet and pulled out three jewelry   
boxes. Keeping the black one for herself, she tossed the two red boxes   
at Yusuke and Terry. "Put these on. And ask me why after you put them   
on."  
  
After opening the boxes and putting on the gold bracelets, Terry and   
Yusuke turned back to look at May, who had just put a gold cross around  
her neck.  
  
"Okay, so why are we wearing these?"  
  
"Finally! The wimp makes sense!"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Whoa, boys! Calm down." May paused for a moment to shoot them another  
'shut up' look, "Anyway, for your information, the bracelets are   
translation devices, as is my cross. We can now understand everyone   
around us and be understood by everyone around us. It's easier than  
having to learn a new language."  
  
"Wait, you weren't wearing any jewelry when I met you...and I understood  
you." Terry said.  
  
"I understood you, too, lady." Yusuke seconded.  
  
"I can make sure that I'm understood in the dimensions I visit. This is  
more so everyone can understand each other...because you are going with me  
to meet your older brother."  
  
Listening to them bicker now, May almost wished that they couldn't   
understand each other. Were they like this as princes? If so, the queen  
must have had the patience of a saint...or a really good nanny.  
  
"May? Hello!"  
  
"What? I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."  
  
"I said, don't you think we are attracting attention?"  
  
"Yusuke probably isn't. You, Terry, may be attracting some. Me? I   
stand out like a sore thumb. I have 'foreigner' written all over me. I  
don't mind being noticed as an American. I would mind being noticed as  
a time walker."  
  
"You're sure the same countries exist in this dimension as in the one  
you came from?" Terry asked.  
  
"Didn't I say? This dimension is...well...let's just say I grew up in   
a country on the other side of the world in this dimension." There was  
a few moments of silence. Then May addressed the issue that the guys  
were dancing around, "Guys, I do know what I'm doing."  
  
"Lady, I don't believe you have a clue about what you are doing."  
  
"Thanks for your support, Yusuke. That was just what I wanted to hear."  
  
Terry shot a look back at May, "Are you always this sarcastic?"  
  
"Are y'all always this aggravating?! Look, all I want is some peace while  
I plan and you two walk in front of me and try not to kill each other.  
Honestly, it's a nice day and - Ow! Why did you stop Terry?" May   
finished as she ran into the back of a unmoving Terry.  
  
"That woman up there, about three blocks up. Does she look familiar to  
anyone else?"  
  
May looked over Terry's shoulder...and blinked, "Daniella?"  
  
- to be continued -  
  
I know I spoiled you with the last chapter. The Sailor Moon dimension  
saga is so long that I couldn't compress it all into one chapter, like  
I did with the two other dimensions. There will be several chapters to  
come because I have several issues to address. And yes, at some point,  
Usagi and crew will make an appearance.  
  
Thank you for reading. From time to time I may make some changes to the  
story...so every once in a while it would be a good idea to read the  
story from the beginning. And I am still looking for beta readers. Email  
me if you are interested.  
~December 


	5. Apple pie and pocky for lunch

Apple Pie and Pocky for lunch  
Day 1: Late morning to mid-afternoon  
  
"Daniella?"  
  
Yusuke turned to look at May, "I thought she looked familiar, too. You  
know her?"  
  
"She's from your past...I think. If she is who I think she is, she was  
engaged to your oldest brother, Endymion."  
  
"Obviously, she is engaged to someone in this life, too. She just walked  
into a bridal shop," Terry observed.  
  
"I'm going to go talk to her."  
  
"Wait a second, lady. You can't just walk up to people on the street and  
demand that they talk to you! At least not without that axe thing of   
yours."  
  
"Yusuke, I have it under control. Terry, hand me that package in your  
hand."  
  
Terry looked confused, "What package in my-? Okay, now that's freaky.  
That bag just appeared." Terry shook his head, "That's it. Later you  
are showing me all of your little tricks, especially how you get bags  
to appear out of thin air," Terry finished as he handed May a huge bag   
that he didn't have a second ago.  
  
"You're worse than Botan. What the hell is in the bag?"  
  
"My conversation starter. Now, if you boys will excuse me-"  
  
"We aren't coming with you?"  
  
"Of course not! Men don't go into bridal shops."  
  
"So what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Here," May tossed some yen at the boys, which Terry caught. "In this  
life, your older brother occasionally hangs around an arcade. The name  
escapes me at the moment. Go scope out some arcades and see if you can  
find him."  
  
"Lady, we don't even know what he looks like!"  
  
"He looks something like the two of you. Have fun boys. And try not  
to kill each other." With that, May ruffled each boy's hair (which neither  
of them liked) and skipped into the bridal shop with her package.  
  
As Terry and Yusuke begin to walk off, Terry pondered out loud, "I wonder  
if they have VR here?"  
  
*****  
Like everything else about planning her wedding, the search for the perfect  
wedding outfit wasn't going well. Reika sighed. Her friends  
didn't understand her feelings on the matter, either. When she told  
them that no dress had felt right, they all said that she had pre-  
wedding jitters or cold feet. Her maid of honor finally told her to just  
get a nice dress and deal with it. So here she was, looking for dress  
in this fashionable shop. At that moment she was holding one up  
to the mirror when she heard someone speak.  
  
"It's a nice traditional outfit...but it's really not your style.   
Honestly, I see you in a more western style wedding dress...a vintage   
one. And, believe it or not, I have the perfect one."  
  
Reika spun around. In front of her was a foreigner with darker skin than  
she was used to seeing. By her side the foreigner had a huge box in a  
bag. "You don't think this," Reika asked as she held up the traditional   
outfit, "is right for me?"   
  
"Well, no. But if you like it, what do I know?" The woman laughed, "I  
just came in to cancel an order before I return my dress...but I think  
it would be perfect for you. Come take a look."  
  
Happy that someone seemed to understand, Reika walked over as the woman   
laid the box on the table and opened it. Inside was the most beautiful  
dress Reika had ever seen. "Wow. It's amazing," she breathed.  
  
"Try it on."  
  
"Oh, I couldn't."  
  
"No, please do. It's not like I'll be using it."  
  
"Your wedding was cancelled?"  
  
"My wedding-" the woman stopped and seemed about to cry. After a moment  
she seemed to pull herself together, although there was still a resigned  
look in her eyes, "My wedding was only a dream; it isn't going to   
happen. I'll never be married. But that's all the more reason for  
someone else to enjoy this dress." The woman smiled, although it was a  
sad smile, "Try it on for me."  
  
"But you didn't get the dress here. Won't the shop owners mind if I-"  
  
"I'm sure they won't mind if you try it on. Go ahead."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
As the woman that May was sure was Daniella went to try on a very old  
wedding dress, May eased herself into a seat. Without meaning to, the  
woman reminded May that she was dead...and that she would never marry.  
May still remembered the huge wedding she always dreamed about. She  
knew what colors she'd have, who her bridesmaids would be, where she'd  
have the ceremony...she'd had everything but the man. And now she no  
longer had the opportunity. Dying for someone else is really selfless  
when you think about what you give up.  
  
"It's beautiful," May heard just before she looked up to see the other  
woman walk out to the three way mirrors. "It's perfect!"  
  
May walked up to the woman and admired her in the mirror. "Yes, I   
believe it is. You'll have to sweep your hair up, but this dress is   
definitely you. You look better in it than I did."  
  
"Thank you, your majesty."  
  
"Whoa! No need to use a royal address with me just because I'm letting   
you have my dress. My name is May. It's nice to meet you -?"  
  
"Reika. I'm sorry May. I have no idea where that title came from. I   
hope I didn't offend you."  
  
"You didn't offend me. If anything, you flattered me...I just didn't  
want to accept more praise than I deserve."  
  
"Thank you. Thank you so much for this dress. It really is perfect...  
and I was having such a hard time finding a dress."  
  
"I'm glad I could help,"   
  
May turned to go, but she was stopped by Reika saying, "Wait!"  
  
"I hope you don't think this is too forward of me, but this is the first  
time I've felt really excited about my wedding. Would you come with me  
to get some tea? I'd like to bounce ideas off of someone who won't  
second guess me."  
  
May smiled, "I'd love to."  
  
*****  
Terry and Yusuke had be wandering around the city for thirty minutes.  
Amazingly enough, they hadn't killed each other. Not so surprisingly,  
however, the were lost and were arguing about it.  
  
"Well, these bracelets are helpful. Sure I can understand everyone   
around me, but I can't READ any of the signs! And you're not helping!"  
  
"How in the hell do you expect me to help?"  
  
"Isn't this your native language, twip?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I know where we are!"  
  
Terry groaned in frustration, but stopped when he looked up and saw a   
familiar word on a building, "Come on, we're going in there."  
  
"Why? What's so special about that building?"  
  
"Beside the fact that it has English on it, you mean?" Terry asked   
sarcastically. "Yusuke, that building is the Crown...something. Don't  
you think a latent first born prince would be attracted to a place called  
'The Crown'?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Just shut up and come on," Terry said as he dragged Yusuke across the   
street and into the building.  
  
Once they walked through the automatic doors their ears were assaulted  
by the noises of video games, kids, and teens. "Well, at least we now  
know it's an arcade," Terry observed, "and a primitive one at that."  
  
"Look, future wimp, just because you think that-" Yusuke started to shout,  
but before he could finish he was knocked down by...something.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to run you over. I didn't  
see you-" a feminine voice said.  
  
"One would think you would have learned some grace by now," another   
feminine voice added.  
  
By this point Yusuke had recovered, "What is your problem, lady? Are you  
always this rude, knocking down people-"  
  
"Yusuke!" Terry interupted as he reached down to help Yusuke to his feet.  
Yusuke ignored his help. "I'm sure she didn't mean to hit you on purpose,"  
Terry continued as he turned around to face the two women who had just   
spoken, but as he turned to the blonde who ran into Yusuke a strange feeling  
came over Terry and in a slightly different voice he said, "Or maybe she  
did."  
  
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Yusuke shouted at Terry.  
  
Terry just shook his head, "I don't know."  
  
"Mamo-chan." The blonde suddenly said, pointing at Terry.  
  
"Excuse me?" Terry asked. He turned to Yusuke, "Did that make sense to  
you?"  
  
"No. There is something is seriously wrong with that girl."  
  
"I'm sorry; it's just that you look just like my Mamo-chan. Doesn't he,  
Rei?" the blonde asked her companion.  
  
"Actually," the dark-haired girl next to the blonde replied, "he DOES look  
a lot like Mamoru."  
  
At that name, both Yusuke and Terry focused on the conversation. May had  
told them earlier the name of their older brother in this place and time.  
Hearing it uttered so soon after they walked into this building was  
surprising. "Do you know this guy - Mamoru was it? - that I look like?"  
  
The blonde blushed and giggled. "Yes. He's my boyfriend."  
  
"Wow, what a small world. Maybe I'll meet him one day. Anyway, Yusuke,  
you can play that game later. Let's go," Terry said, as he began to drag  
Yusuke back out the main door.  
  
"Hey!" Yusuke shouted after the doors closed, "What do you think you are  
doing? They actually knew this Mamoru. You-"  
  
"Took notice that this was a place those girls seem to come often. If  
his girlfriend comes around her a lot, he would show up here eventually.  
I pulled you out so that we could find May and tell her about this...and  
come up with a plan."  
  
"A plan? They are right here! That doesn't make sense!"  
  
"That figures coming from you. Do you fight your way through everything?"  
  
"Am I the one that ruined a police sting operation? You don't have the  
best record either!"  
  
Terry threw Yusuke a dirty look, "But I have a better record that yours,  
hothead. Come on, twip. Let's go find May."  
  
*****  
"Goodbye, Reika." May said as she waved to her new...aquaintance, who wasn't  
so new. May smiled as she walked away. She had an invitation to Reika's  
engagement party where May could meet Reika's friends. May wasn't sure if  
Reika's circle included the last prince she was looking for or not...but  
having "Daniella" around could be very useful, especially when trying to  
explain to the heir apparent what happened.  
  
Now, she had some other jobs to do today, including finding a place to   
stay for Terry, Yusuke, and herself. She had told Reika that she was  
in town with some distant cousins. May sighed. She also needed to work  
on a better explanation for Terry and Yusuke. She was too young for them  
to be her children. And no one would believe she was their sister. Then  
there was the problem of-  
  
"May!" a voice shouted.  
  
May turned around to see Terry and Yusuke coming toward her. "Wow. The  
two of you haven't killed each other. Maybe the world is coming to an  
end."  
  
"Ha, ha, lady. Look, we may have found out something."  
  
"Really? Well that's good. What did y'all find?"  
  
"This place called the Crown. It's an arcade and while we were there  
Yusuke got run over by someone claiming to be Mamoru's girlfriend."  
  
"Really? You'll have to take me there tomorrow."  
  
"So, lady. How'd your little adventure go?"  
  
"Just fine. Oh, and boys, we have invitations to an engagement party in  
two days."  
  
"An ENGAGEMENT PARTY?! Why in the hell-?"  
  
"Oh, just shut up, Yusuke and let's go."  
  
"Go where, May?"  
  
"We do need to find a place to live. It's a little hard to pull a mansion  
out of thin air. And besides, I don't want to draw too much attention  
to myself, remember? Now come on."  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Okay, this ended up going in a different direction than I had originally  
planned. The story is getting pretty complex. I hope this chapter was  
interesting. The hardest thing about writing crossovers is being true  
to the characters in all the series and how they really would react in  
different environments.  
  
I am also still in great, great need for beta readers. Please, please,  
please email me if you are interested in helping. Thanks for reading.  
~December 


	6. Dreams of pie and pocky

Chapter 6: Dreams of pie and pocky  
Early morning: Day 2  
  
Reika woke with a gasp. She had just had a strange dream. What was  
even stranger was that in the dream she was trying on her new dress.  
  
At first Reika thought that she was just replaying yesterday afternoon  
in her head. She was in front of a three-way mirror in her dress...but  
she was also wearing a tiara.  
  
"Good. It fits then," said a voice. Reika looked into the mirror and  
saw an older version of the girl she met yesterday. Here, however, the  
girl no longer looked about twenty-seven; she looked about forty-seven  
...and Reika felt that she was even older than that. The older woman   
wore a beautiful green court dress and a crown. The older woman smiled,   
"I knew it would look good on you. You look better in it than I did."  
  
"It's perfect. Thank you, your majesty," Reika heard herself say.  
  
"I know you feel the need to practice your public manners at all times,  
Your Grace," the lady laughed, "but in private, you really don't have to.  
Call me Adaunde. After this is all over, you can call me Mom. But let's   
start with Adaunde. I don't think you can handle 'Mom' yet."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh, it's okay. It's just a bad habit we'll have to break you of."  
  
"But Lady Maxine and Lady Keiko don't seem to have the same problem with   
this that I do."  
  
"Lady Keiko has been around me since before she was born. I was 'Ween  
Dawn' before she could say 'queen,' much less understand what it meant.  
As for Lady Maxine, she just thinks a lot like I do. But trust me, they   
have hang-ups in other areas that you don't have."  
  
"Your maj- Adaunde. Do you think that I can do this? Do you think I   
can-"  
  
"Be a good queen someday? Of course I do. Besides, you'll have Endy   
with you for always. You won't be alone. Love makes everything possible.  
Now, let's talk about what to do with your hair."  
  
At that point, Reika woke up. She still remembered the dream...but the  
dream almost seemed like a memory. Deciding that she was just over-  
excited from yesterday, she went ahead and got an early start on her day.  
*****  
  
May woke up slowly, although she was in shock, once again, from another  
"memory" dream. She sat up in the queen-sized bed in the huge house   
she'd found for herself, Terry and Yusuke. It used to belong to some  
Stanton guy before he disappeared. She did think it was kind of odd that  
this amazingly rich guy just disappeared one day. If she was in the US,  
she'd think he would be hiding in the Caymen Islands to avoid paying real  
estate taxes on this amazing house, but she was pretty sure that the   
Japanese did not behave that way. Did someone help him to disappear  
permanently? May shrugged away her spectulation and confusion about what   
happened to the previous owner of the house. She needed to concentrate   
on the dream to see if she could figure out what it meant.  
  
At the opening of the dream, May was in front of a screen of some kind.   
It appeared to be a picture phone. May couldn't see herself, but she   
could see the other woman clearly. For some reason, that odd hairstyle   
and white dress made her angry.  
  
"...alliance for my people," May had been saying.  
  
"Yes, alliances, even paper alliances, save whole kingdoms," the other  
woman said. "But paper contracts and treaties are broken all the time."  
  
"What are you saying, Serenity?"  
  
The other woman's eyes narrowed, showing annoyance, "All I'm saying is   
that paper agreements can be ignored or voided. People tend not to  
attack their children, however.  
  
"Oh, and by the way," the woman refered to as Serenity continued, "My  
only daugher met both Endymion and Tremaine during the last diplomatic  
mission your planet undertook. She was impressed by both of them. Now   
if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that Mercury doesn't cross me  
again. I'd hate to have to take off their protective shield and expose  
that entire planet to the full force of the sun."  
  
The picture winked out and the transmission ended. There was a resigned  
sighed and then May woke up.  
  
Who was this Serenity? And why did she make May feel so angry? Was this  
the evil empress? And who was May that she was in negotiations with her?  
  
"Why does none of this make sense?" May asked to the early morning   
stillness.  
  
*****  
He stood in a castle hallway. To be more precise, he stood in front of a  
guarded door. He said something to the guard, who, after bowing, opened  
the door. Striding in, not noticing the guard closing the door behind  
him, he stopped in front of a double throne. A woman sat on the right,  
but he couldn't see her face. He could see that she was wearing a formal  
black gown. While such a dress was very appropriate for a formal  
celebration, for some reason he knew she wore the dress as a sign of  
mourning.  
  
"They'll be here soon," he heard himself say.  
  
"Okay. Thank you for coming to tell me, Endy."  
  
"You're welcome, your majesty." For a moment, he paused. Then, "Mummy?"  
  
He sensed that the woman smiled, "You picked up that horrid name from  
your father. For years I have tried to get you to stop calling me that;  
to get you to call me 'Mama' instead. Obviously, it hasn't worked," the  
woman laughed, but her tone sobered when she noticed that he wasn't  
smiling. "What is it, Endy?"  
  
"With everyone wearing black...I mean, won't they realize that we are not  
celebrating...and retaliate against us in some way?"  
  
"We'll just tell them that we wear black for formal celebrations around  
here."  
  
"And how do we explain the eyes that are red from crying?"  
  
"Pink eye and a nasty flu bug, essentially Earth illnesses. Just say we've  
had a rough summer for those who don't handle pollen well." The next  
statement had a slight edge to it, "Besides, I wouldn't ask the nobility  
to change. It is a good constrast to the Lunarians in their white...and  
it is good for the people to see."  
  
"So that they can tell the good guy from the bad guys? Because the good  
guys are dressed in black?"  
  
"Well, that and re-affirming the right to grieve."  
  
The room was silent for a few minutes. Then the woman said. "Endy,   
promise not to forget us. Please."  
  
"Mother!" he explained, aghast, offended, and hurt, "I would NEVER-"  
  
"Sweetie," the woman interupted, "soon you'll be leaving...your home  
for a long time and you'll be on her turf. I may think that Serenity is  
a witch, but I never thought she was stupid. She'll have a lot of sway  
in that world...and over her daughter. It would be in her best interest  
if you forgot us. I'm asking you not to. Promise me you'll remember  
us."  
  
"I promise, Mother. I'll remember you and father, Tremaine and Arlington,  
and Daniella...and I'll love you all. Forever. They won't take that   
from me."  
  
Mamoru started awake. Unable to go back to sleep, he walked out onto  
his balcony. "What do these dreams mean?" he asked the night.  
  
He'd been having this same dream off and on for about two weeks now. He  
sighed. He knew he needed to tell Usagi and the others about the dream...  
but he didn't know how to broach the subject.  
  
Mamoru had an interesting history with dreams. At times they had been  
prophetic, at other times they had been scare tactics or warnings,  
but they had always profoundly affected his life...usually because he  
didn't share them with anyone. But this dream was more disturbing than  
the others because it seemed like a memory.  
  
That and the fact that he called the woman in the dream "Mother".  
  
Mamoru sighed. There were big holes in everyone's memory of the Silver  
Millenium. There were big holes in his memory in general. Maybe he  
was actually remembering his Silver Millenium family.  
  
Pluto would know...and Mamoru hoped she'd show up soon. He now had a lot  
of questions to ask her, especially about the relationship between the  
Earth and the Moon.  
  
*****  
Pluto looked out over time concerned. In the last two weeks there had   
been some minor shifts in dimensions. This, of course, happened naturally.  
Big events or choices that did and didn't happen combine to shift worlds.  
Rarely was it ever a concern...at least it wasn't a concern to her   
until it threatened her future queen and the dream world she'd worked hard  
to put into place for Serenity's daughter. Pluto sighed. Guarding the  
Gate of Time was always more than just guarding it.  
  
These minor shifts in the last two weeks disturbed her slightly, so she  
decided to take a closer look. Waving her staff so that she could see  
the movements between dimensions and time, Sailor Pluto looked closely  
at the dimensions that had been disturbed. Realizing what dimensions  
had been disturbed and that there was a recent disturbance in the  
Crystal Toyko timeline, she paled. "There is no way that they could  
be reuniting! Not after I-" Grabbing her staff, Pluto headed for the   
Time Gate. "I have got to get to the senshi quickly. I have to stop  
this."  
  
- to be continued -  
Anyone want to guess who May was in that incarnation? Or when she'll  
find out/remember who she was? Hmm.  
  
I'm still in need of beta readers...and a Pluto expert would be wonderful.  
Thanks for reading, reviewing, and all of your feedback.  
~December 


	7. Pie and Pocky shouldn't be on the same p...

Chapter 7  
Pie and Pocky shouldn't be on the same plate  
  
It was eight a.m. on the second day, and three people sat at a counter in an  
arcade in deep discussion. They barely acknowledged the blond man who  
served them soda, tea, and coffee. Instead these three people seemed to  
be going over something in detail, at times their voices rising and   
falling.  
  
"So, tell me again what these girls who mentioned your brother looked   
like."  
  
"May, we have been through this!" Terry exclaimed, a little frustrated.  
  
"Yeah, lady," added Yusuke, "what the hell else do you want from us?!"  
  
May sighed. "The reason I'm pushing you is because of your talents.  
You," she said turning to Terry, "have a quick mind and are very   
observant. You," she continued, turning to Yusuke, "have an amazing   
memory when it comes to things that have annoyed you. And you seemed  
pretty annoyed about being run over. I'm hoping between the two of you  
I can get that little bit of information that could mean everything."  
She sighed. "Come on, guys. Humor me just a bit. Tell me again about  
these girls you met yesterday."  
  
"Okay, okay," Terry relented before he started. "They obviously came in  
together. The one who didn't run over Yusuke had dark hair. It was so  
black it almost looked purple. She answered to the name Rei. My guess  
is that she's religious like you."  
  
That startled May slightly, "What do you mean, like me?"  
  
"It was something in the way she carried herself...kind of like you do.  
Like part of you is on another plane. It's like she went through some  
kind of religious training...or is at least very dedicated to her beliefs.  
You are like that. At moments it is like you are in conversation with  
another power in another place...I know I'm not making sense-"  
  
"Yes, you are," May interrupted. "And that was useful. Really." May  
smiled, "so what about the woman who ran Yusuke down?"  
  
"She caused the whimp here to lose it! I mean, he was himself...then he  
looked at her and was suddenly rude...and talking in another voice. Like  
he was another person." Yusuke jumped in.  
  
"Tremaine," May muttered under her breath, "Tremaine recognized this girl  
and was angry about it."  
  
"What did you say, lady?" Yusuke shouted.  
  
"Nothing," May said quickly. "Now, what did this girl look like?"  
  
"Blonde," Terry began, "Short. Blue eyes. A very strange hairstyle.  
It's like she had two mini balls...or meatballs or something, with some  
hair streaming out behind each meatball."  
  
"She also had a problem with gravity." Yusuke added.  
  
"A problem with gravity?"  
  
"Yeah, it was almost like she wasn't a native...if I was in my dimension  
I'd bet she was a demon from the spirit world."  
  
"A demon?" May asked in a slightly disbelieving tone.  
  
"Yeah. Around her I got this feeling that something was really out of  
place. That somehow what we saw was a cover for something else."   
  
"Calling her a demon is pushing it, Yusuke," Terry said. "And I wouldn't   
say she had a problem with gravity so much as she seemed the be   
pre-disposed to running down dark-haired men. The fact that she took out   
Yusuke and not me was due solely to the fact that the twip here was   
closer to the door."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Boys!" May raised her voice...and then lowered it. She took a deep  
breath and tried to relax...so that she could calm the boys down. "Look,  
we have a good beginning. After the engagement party we go looking for  
these girls, alright? We'll find your brother...and tell him the truth.  
We'll get him back." May finished. In her head, she added, 'Because  
something tells me you ran into the Empress's daughter. And where she  
is in her perfect world, our kidnapped prince can't be far away. I'll  
get Endy back from you...just watch me.'  
  
*****  
Panting as she ran, Usagi said, "I can't believe I'm late."  
  
"And you were getting so much better about this," said a voice from the  
ground.  
  
"Luna, don't harass me about this now! Rei called this meeting, and  
she is so going to kill me for showing up late. Why do we need to have  
this meeting anyway? Galaxia is gone. What else could possibly be   
wrong?"  
  
"Usagi, Rei said this was important. It must be to call a meeting so  
suddenly," Luna said as they neared the temple steps.  
  
Not bothering to reply, Usagi dashed up the stairs. "I'm sorry I'm late-"  
she began, but she stopped when she saw who was in the room.  
  
That Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako were there wasn't surprising. What   
shocked her was seeing Haruka and Michiru in one corner, Hotaru present,  
and..."Mamo-chan? What are you doing here? What's going on?"  
  
"He's here because I called the meeting and he's central to the discussion,"  
Setsuna said as she entered the room.  
  
"This is serious, isn't it?" Usagi asked as she sat next to Mamoru.  
  
"Yes," Setsuna said. "The timeline is in danger...and we all need to   
work together to save it." She sighed, 'This has to work,' she thought  
to herself, 'I have got to get them...all of them to attack first and  
ask questions later.'  
  
"It appears that someone is manipulating time to suit their purposes.  
How they have power over time, I don't know. What I do know is that it  
appears that Mamoru is a target."  
  
The room erupted with shouts and questions. Usagi clutched Mamoru, who  
looked surprized at the pronouncement, "I'm the target? Not Usako?"  
  
"Yes," Setsuna answered. "This person thinks to gain power by destroying  
Crystal Toyko and all the moon kingdom stood for. I'm not sure how   
powerful this person is...so far they have been subtle. Anyone that  
shows inordinate interest in Mamoru, especially if they seem foreign or  
strange should be treated with caution."  
  
"Like those guys we met yesterday?" Usagi asked, turning to Rei.  
  
"What guys?" Haruka and Mamoru asked together.  
  
"When we stopped into the arcade to talk to Motoki about the engagement  
party, we met these two guys-"  
  
"Meaning Usagi ran over one of them," Rei interrupted  
  
Usagi gave her a dirty look, but continued, "who seemed interested in   
meeting you," she finished, turning to Mamoru.  
  
"Actually," Rei clarified, "they weren't interested in much else besides  
screaming at Usagi until she pointed out how much one of them looked like  
Mamoru."  
  
'No!' Pluto thought, 'It is worse than I thought. They are here already.'  
"Did he actually look like Mamoru?" Setsuna asked, instead of letting her  
panic show.  
  
"Both of them did, a little. But the older of the two...they could have  
easily have been brothers." Rei said and Usagi nodded.  
  
"What is it, Setsuna?" Michiru asked, noticing the look on Setsuna's face.  
  
"I have reason to think these people are dangerous. I think Mamoru  
should be placed under guard...at least until I can nail down who is  
behind this and where they are."  
  
With that conversation turned to ways of discreetly keeping an eye on  
Mamoru and ways of finding this enemy. Setsuna used this moment to   
perpare to leave, but she was stopped by a voice calling, "Setsuna-san?"  
  
"Yes, Mamoru?" she said as she turned.  
  
The young man seemed to be unable to speak at first. Then he asked,   
"What was the relationship between the Moon kingdom and Earth during  
the Silver Millenium?"  
  
That question caused Setsuna's eyes to widen and her mind to worry,   
"What prompted that question?"  
  
Mamoru ran his hand through his hair, "I've had a dream off and on for  
the past two weeks. It actually seems like a memory. It the dream there  
seemed to be some tension between the Earth and Moon." 'That's an  
understatement,' he thought to himself, but he continued, "In the dream  
I call this woman that I can't really see, 'mother'. What do you know  
about my Silver Millenium family? What happened around the time I became  
engaged to Princess Serenity? I remember so little and some of what I've  
been told and 'remember' doesn't seem right. What-"  
  
Setsuna held up her hand. 'How do I get out of this?' she asked herself.  
What she said was, "I understand that you are confused. And I promise  
that as a group we can talk about the Silver Millenium at some point, but  
your safety is the most important thing at the moment."  
  
"You don't think this is important?" Mamoru asked. "You said that the   
person wants to destroy Crystal Toyko and everything that the Moon   
kingdom stands for. If it is a bitter noble of Earth from the Silver  
Millenium, wouldn't it be useful to know more about my past?"  
  
"Not in this case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the  
gate." Setsuna said, as she turned and began to walk away. As she left  
she heard Usagi say, "They aren't getting him! We'll fight and we'll  
win."  
  
Setsuna smiled. 'Mission accomplished. I won't let the Earth family  
reunite. The Earth prince is what my princess wants. This is her world...  
they won't win.'  
  
- to be continued -  
  
It's been awhile since I've updated. If anyone is still reading, I'd  
love some feedback. Please email me or review this story. It's a   
huge undertaking and a work in progress. So far I'm proud of it, but  
I'd like some more feedback.  
  
Speaking of updating, I have changed (due to feedback from my wonderful  
editor and beta reader) chapters one and two. It would be a good time  
to read the story from the beginning...and see what you think now. Off  
and on, I will change some chapters along the way. So going back to   
read the story from the beginning occasionally is a good idea.  
  
As always, Batman Beyond, Yu Yu Hakesho, and Sailor Moon are not mine.  
The only things I "own" are the idea to combine these series in this   
way, and May and Imani. Thank you for reading and giving feedback.  
~December 


	8. Party Foods?

Chapter 8  
Party foods?  
  
It was an exciting day, or at least it should have been. It was Reika's engagement  
party. It felt a little wrong celebrating when she had such doubts, but  
she figured that the party couldn't hurt. Besides, it was a gift to   
Motoki.  
  
It was a little of surprise when Mamoru Chiba offered to host the party. He  
and his girlfriend Usagi planned everything...all she had to do was present  
the two with a guest list. They were even understanding when she called  
them two days ago to add three to her list. Admittedly, she was a little  
worried about how it would turn out when it was decided it would be at the  
arcade...and that they weren't going to use outside caterers. Now she  
realized that all of her fears were unfounded. The arcade actually looked  
classy after all the decorating...and Makoto's food was amazing. 'Maybe  
I should get her to cook for the wedding too,' Reika smiled to herself.  
  
She looked across the room. Motoki was surrounded by friends, still   
receiving congratulations. He looked so happy. Reika eyes clouded briefly.  
Since he seemed so happy, so sure, she hadn't been able to talk to him  
about her doubts. Obviously she must have had them for awhile.   
How else could she have just up and gone to Africa for a year? None of the other  
couples she knew would have split for that long. She sighed. She really  
hated the feelings of doubt and guilt she'd been having lately. And  
then there were her dreams.  
  
The dreams were getting weirder. In her dreams she saw all kinds of people,  
even Mamoru...in the oddest outfits, one in particular that seemed familiar   
beyond her dreams. She thought she had seen it while in Africa...but that   
wasn't what disturbed her the most. What disturbed her was that Motoki was   
nowhere in these dreams. It was like she was dreaming that she was about   
to marry someone else. What did that mean for her wedding plans today?  
  
As Reika was about to go seek out her maid of honor so that she could  
talk to someone and ignore these feelings for awhile, she noticed that  
the arcade door opened and in walked May...although with two guys.   
  
Reika crossed the room and hugged her new friend, "May! I'm glad you   
could make it."  
  
The other woman smiled, "Hey, I couldn't refuse this invitation. I love  
parties. And weddings are exciting!"  
  
"And stressful," Reika added. "These two men with you must be your   
cousins."  
  
"Yes, forgive me for not introducing them sooner. This is Terry and   
Yusuke."  
  
Reika looked at the two people with May...who looked nothing like her.  
"They must really be distant."  
  
"My family is American military," May said. "They tend to intermarry  
a lot."  
  
"It is nice to meet you. Congratulations on your engagment," Terry   
said as he smiled and handed Reika a dozen roses. Yusuke just stood there,  
looking very uncomfortable.  
  
"Thank you," Reika smiled.  
  
"As you can see, of my two cousins, Terry was the one that received  
'home training'" May laughed.  
  
"Hey!" Yusuke objected.  
  
"So, can we meet the lucky guy?" Terry asked.  
  
"Um..." Reika looked over her shoulder. Motoki was still very occupied.  
"He's completely surrounded at the moment, and I'd hate to interrupt."   
  
"That's okay," May assured her. "We can meet him later." She looked   
around, "It looks like you've done a lot of work for this party. I'm  
impressed."  
  
"Oh, I can't take credit for that," Reika admitted. "One of my fiance's  
friends planned this whole thing with his girlfriend. I just had to   
show up." Reika laughed.  
  
"Think you could get them to plan your whole wedding?" May laughed.  
  
"Don't I wish!" Reika answered.   
  
Reika probably would have continued if a dark haired young man hadn't  
walked up to her just then. "Reika-san, Motoki sent me to check on you.  
How are you enjoying the party?"  
  
"It's great. Thank you so much for doing this for us."  
  
The young man smiled, "You're welcome. Usagi and Makoto loved working on  
it away. It was all they could talk about for weeks."   
  
"Actually, Mamoru," Reika said, stopping him before he could leave, "there  
are some people I'd like you to meet. Mamoru, this is May and her   
cousins, Terry and Yusuke," Reika began, pointing out the other people  
with her. "They were my last minute additions to the guest list, but May  
has helped me so much since I met her that I couldn't not invite her."   
Reika said a few other things, but the four people around her didn't notice.  
  
May stared at the young man, not really believing her eyes, or her luck. 'I   
found him. I found the oldest son. I didn't think he'd be here. Hoped, but   
didn't think. I may be able to pull this off in less than a week after all.'  
  
Mamoru was also staring at the group in front of him. None of them  
appeared to be from anywhere around Toyko, but two of them looked a lot  
like him, especially the teen on the right, the one introduced as Terry.  
He remembered Setsuna's warning about strangers, but he couldn't help   
wondering, 'Who are these people, and why do two of them look so much like   
me?'  
  
Terry was staring at the man in front of him, who could almost be a mirror  
image. Shocked as he was, he uttered one of his thoughts aloud, "You  
have got to be kidding me." He turned to May, "It's like looking into  
a mirror."  
  
"Or seeing double," that came from Yusuke, who seemed - for once - as   
stunned as everyone else.  
  
May had decided that now that she had met the oldest son, she had to keep his  
interest. To do that, May decided to play dirty, even though her conscience  
bristled at the idea of the lie she was about to tell. Noticing that Reika  
hadn't used Mamoru's last name when she introduced him, May decided to fall  
back on some of the "basic knowledge" she had about her latest target.   
She just hoped his curiousity got him to talk to her. She addressed Mamoru,   
"Your last name wouldn't happen to be Chiba, would it?"  
  
Mamoru stared at May, "Well...yes, it is. But what-"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry," May summoned up a blush. "It is a little rude to ask and  
I'm sure that it's just wishful thinking on my part, but-" May broke off  
and looked down at the floor while twisting her hands. Out of the corner  
of her eye, she noticed that Yusuke was staring at her like she was crazy...  
  
But Terry had figured out what she was doing, "May, I know you are still  
hoping after all these years, but you have to face it. They are gone; it  
was a senseless accident. Yes, it is odd that he looks so much like me,  
but that doesn't mean-"  
  
"Accident? What accident?" Mamoru asked as he took the bait.  
  
"A long time ago, my aunt was here in Japan, visiting one of her brothers,   
my uncle Colin, that was serving in the US army base in Japan. While  
here she met the love of her life. She married...against the wishes of  
many in my family. They forgave her when she had her first child, a  
son. One rainy night, they were on the way to the airport, my cousin,  
her husband, and their son. They were coming to the US for a family  
reunion...but there was an accident." May made her voice break off.  
"My family didn't know what happened for about a week. When we finally found  
out, we were told that they were all gone. And here you are, with the   
same last name, looking so much like Terry and-" May stopped...and   
forced herself to shake.   
  
Terry, understanding the game, gave May a hug, "She was five at the  
time. She loved her Aunt Terra. And she always hoped, since she was   
told they were 'gone' and not 'dead', but....We are sorry."  
  
May pulled herself together, "I'm sorry. You probably think I'm a little  
crazy." She smiled, "Hey, at least you have a funny story to tell your  
parents about the psycho foreigner who thought she was related-" May  
stopped as she saw her quarry's face. "Um...are you alright?"  
  
Mamoru said very quietly, "My parents are dead."  
  
"Oh, oh I'm sorry," May contrived to look embarassed (and not guilty) at   
this statement, "Now I'm prying and insensitive. I really am sorry; I  
didn't-"  
  
"They died in a car accident, a long time ago when I was a little boy."  
  
Terry touched his arm in sympathy, which he didn't have to fake, "My father was  
murdered recently. It hurts like hell to lose a parent. Sometimes the  
memories just haunt you," Terry finished as his voice dropped off.  
  
If anything, Mamoru's eyes got bleaker, "I was in the accident with them,  
but I don't remember anything that happened in the accident or before. If   
I had known about other family, I wouldn't have known to contact them," the   
young man said quietly.  
  
At this point, May didn't have to fake the tears in her eyes. But these  
weren't the hopeful tears that Mamoru and Reika would assume they were; these  
were tears of guilt. 'I'm bringing up old pain, pretending that I have a  
solution that I don't. I'm really hurting him here. I almost hope he  
doesn't make the connection that I'm angling for. Maybe we could all just  
comfort each other because we've all felt death,' She looked at her hands,  
and then at Yusuke, 'In one way or the other.' "I'm really sorry for  
bringing this up," May started. "It is obviously painful for you. I-"  
May floundered for a moment.  
  
But Mamoru filled the pause with a question, "Do you...do you have a picture  
of your Aunt Terra and her husband? Maybe one with their son? I know it  
sounds odd-"  
  
May just nodded as tears ran down her face, 'I'll make one,' she thought  
to herself. 'I'll make one if it stops your pain. I'm sorry. I will  
be able to offer you a family, but not the one you are seeking here. I'm so  
sorry.' May realized that she needed time, both to backpeddle and to try  
to think of a way to fix the mess she just created. She remembered Reika   
was still standing there, "Oh, Reika, I'm sorry. Here I am, crying and   
making everyone upset at your party." She turned to Mamoru, "We should  
probably finish this discussion later." May wiped her eyes, "I really do   
want to talk to you so more. Getting some answers, finally, after all   
these years...it's worth the effort...and the fact that I've completely   
wrecked my make-up."  
  
Everyone in the group smiled. Mamoru, looking both shell-shocked and   
hopeful, nodded. They began to arrange a time and place to meet. And,  
although Pluto's warning still rang in his hand, he decided he needed   
answers more. Answers that Pluto wasn't providing.  
  
*****  
As he thanked another person for their well-wishes, a voice next to him  
said, "It's great to see you so happy. Liking the party so far?"  
  
Motoki turned to see Usagi standing next to him, with a pretty big smile  
on her face. "Yes. It was really nice of you and Mamoru to do this for  
me and Reika. And Makoto's cooking is amazing."  
  
"I'm glad you're having fun. And I'm glad I haven't tripped in these  
heels yet. Of course, I'll also be glad when the arcade is back to   
normal. I miss playing the Sailor V game."  
  
Motoki laughed, "The more things change the more they stay the same.  
Still the same Usagi. Don't ever change."  
  
Usagi's smiled dimmed a little, "I could probably be a little more  
mature and sophisicated. I mean, I'd hate to embarass Mamo- I mean-  
I'd hate to embarass people around me."  
  
Motoki turned to her, "Usagi, you don't embarass any of us, not really.  
You have the biggest heart in the world and an innocence most of us  
would love to have back. We all love you, especially Mamoru. Don't  
worry so," he finished. Then, after a pause, he asked, "Has Mamoru  
said anything that made you think-"  
  
"No, no." Usagi reassured the man who was like the older brother she  
never had. "I just think sometimes that he'd be happier with someone  
who was older and more mature and smarter than I am. If it wasn't for-"  
she stopped suddenly, remembering who she was talking to, but, after  
a pause, she finished the thought with, "I just wonder if things had  
been different, if he would have picked me."  
  
"Usagi," Motoki began, "I have never seen Mamoru happier, more in  
touch with the world than when he is with you. Before you he was  
so closed off from everyone, including me. I used to worry about  
him a lot. Yes, when you first met, it wasn't smooth sailing,   
due mostly to Mamoru's hang-ups. But you saw beyond that and   
hung in there. He needs you." The blond smiled, "Someday,  
Reika and I will be planning one of these for you, okay?" At Usagi's  
nod, Motoki said, "Why don't we go find your boyfriend and my  
fiancee, okay?"  
  
The two began to look around the room for the most important people   
in their lives. After looking around for a few minutes, Usagi spotted  
Mamoru walking her direction...and she also saw two people who looked   
familar. Her eyes widened as she recognized the two guys she met in  
the arcade a few days ago. Remembering Pluto's warning, Usagi made a  
mental note to call another senshi meeting and tell them about this  
occurance. Those two men might be dangerous.  
  
As Mamoru approached them he seemed to force a smile that didn't reach  
his eyes. Motoki was too happy to notice, but Usagi did...and wondered  
what had happened that caused his eyes to be so sad. "Hey Motoki. Finally  
got away from the crowd of well-wishers?" Mamoru asked as he put an arm  
around Usagi.  
  
"Hey, there are worst things to be caught in. Speaking of well-wishers,  
have you seen my fiancee, the reason that I'm receiving all of these  
congratulations?"  
  
"Yeah. She's by the door, talking to her friend May. I just left them."  
  
"Great. Thanks." Motoki said as he left his friends to meet up with  
his fiance.  
  
After Motoki left, Mamoru finally looked down at Usagi. He was debating  
with himself about how much to tell her about the conversation he just  
had, when he noticed the look on Usagi's face, "What's wrong, Usako?"  
  
Usagi mentally shook herself. Maybe she shouldn't burden him with her  
fears just yet, she might be overreacting. She'd just keep an eye on  
him the rest of the night and tell the others about it in the morning...  
after she talked to Luna. She forced herself to brighten. "Nothing, I just  
missed you," she said as she gave her boyfriend a big hug. And she  
added to herself, 'And I was worried that you'd be taken from me...either  
by what plans these strangers have or by your realization that I may not  
be what you want.' Usagi tightened her hold on her boyfriend, 'After  
all we been through, I'm still very afraid of losing you.'  
  
-to be continued-  
  
I only have one word to say: ethics, ethics, ethics. Without them,  
even the best of intentions don't yield the good we wish. Should  
be interesting to see how May gets herself out of this one.  
  
And I have another word: sorry. I know it has been a long wait for  
this chapter, and it may be a longer wait for the next one. The  
up-swing of this is that I'm editing and improving on the story.  
An improved chapter three will also be available this week. Please  
let me know what you think of everything.  
  
Thanks for reading  
~December 


	9. Present Pain

Chapter 9: Present Pain  
  
She looked around the room at her friends, her court. They were as   
determined to keep her love as safe as she was. When she called the   
meeting to inform the others of her observations and fears, they came   
almost immediately and without question, even Haruka and Michiru. That   
Pluto wasn't there, she took as a good sign...probably because there   
were so few of those since Motoki's engagement party.  
  
"So where is Mamoru-san now?" Ami's question brought Usagi back to   
the present.  
  
"At his appartment. He said he'd be there most of the day. I'm going   
there after this, but he did point out that he was probably safest   
there...and that we all had to meet together at some point anyway."  
  
"And these were the same two guys you met at the arcade before?" Michiru   
asked.  
  
"Yes." Usagi confirmed. "I remember because I thought it was odd.   
I'm not even sure how they got into the party." She looked at her   
priestess friend, "I wish you were there, Rei. I can't sense things   
like you can."  
  
"It's okay, Usagi. Hey, you called us together to talk about it,   
right? It was right to share your fears with us. It's what we are   
here for."  
  
As the conversation continued around her, Usagi slipped back into deep   
thought. Actually, Rei's statement made her realize that she hadn't   
shared all her fears with them. Again her mind returned to an old   
worry. 'If I wasn't Serenity...if Serenity and Endymion hadn't loved   
each other, would Mamo-chan love me?' she asked herself.  
  
She didn't like the answer she received. She also didn't like this   
persistantly frequent fear she had of losing the love her life, of  
both of her lives.  
  
Actually, her fear wasn't all that unfounded when she reflected on   
their relationship. When they first met they hated each other.   
In fact, they had just begun to make a few inroads with each other   
before they found out about their destiny. Then he was kidnapped,   
brainwashed, and made to fight against her. After healing him, he   
lost his memory of their destiny...and hated her again! And then,   
after he finally remembered and they were dating, he broke up with   
her over dreams that foretold a "destiny". And that was just the   
beginning. Many things have tried to break up their relationship  
since that moment. 'Maybe someone is trying to tell us something,'   
Usagi thought as a tear slid unnoticed down her cheek.  
  
"Usagi, are you okay?" she heard Makoto ask.  
  
That startled Usagi back into focusing on the meeting. "Yes, I'm   
okay." she said quietly. "It's just that - I-" Usagi's voice broke.   
"Some days I really just think I dreamed Crystal Toyko. Maybe   
Mamo-chan and I - we -" She tried to continue, but she couldn't seem   
to get the words out. And as she cried and was drawn into the arms   
of her friends, the latent questions that she always asked herself   
swirled around in her head. 'Am I the right woman for Mamo-chan? Am  
I worthy of being Serenity? Is Mamo-chan only with me because of   
destiny? And what would I do if I knew that he loved or could love   
someone else?'  
  
*****  
  
As he sat around his apartment, Mamoru was glad that he had encouraged  
Usagi to go to the senshi meeting. Although she had said she'd come by  
after the meeting, it meant that he had some time to himself this morning,  
which was a good thing. He was sorting through a lot at the moment, and  
he wasn't sure how much of it he wanted to share just yet.  
  
Last night he had another dream. This one was different from all  
the others, because all it consisted of weird phrases. At least,   
that was all he could remember. These phrases and statements,   
however, were tramatizing enough.  
  
"I'm so glad I have you in my life, Dani."  
  
"Dani, love, what would I do without you?"  
  
"Say it with me, 'Princess Daniella of Earth'"  
"I can't! It's too scary." replied a female voice.  
"Well, then, say 'Endy's wife.'"   
The female voice laughed, "That I can do."  
  
"Daniella, I've known you for years. You've been my right  
hand for more of them that I can count. You've supported  
me, kept me in line, loved me. My family adores you, and   
so do my people. But, in the end, I just can't imagine  
ruling, I can't imagine living without you. I want to be  
with you until the day the ocean doesn't touch the sand. Dani,  
will you marry me?"  
  
The phrase that had shocked him awake, however, disturbed   
him the most.  
  
"Daniella...I may have to marry the princess of the moon, but  
she will never have my heart. You are my 'now and forever'. I  
won't forget you."  
  
Mamoru ran his hand through his hair for the hundredth time that  
day. None of this made any sense.   
  
For years his lack of memory had bothered him. He couldn't   
remember his parents. He couldn't really remember his life  
in the Silver Millenium...and lately, much of what he did  
remember or had been told in the past seemed wrong or twisted.   
These dreams had felt more like memories, and more right than   
any dreams that he'd had in years. But they didn't make sense   
with anything he had been told.  
  
The Silver Millennium was supposedly a time of peace. His   
engagement to Princess Serenity was supposed to be a love  
match. The only evil to mar the picture was supposed to  
be Beryl. But the dreams...the memories that he had had  
lately were making everything very gray.  
  
In his dreamworld, the Silver Millennium was not a time of  
peace, but a time of oppression. He had a family, important  
people in his life that had never appeared in the other  
story. And, most scary of all, he had been in love with and  
about to marry someone else. That was the biggest shock of  
all.  
  
For almost as long as they had been together, he and Usagi  
were both aware that their love was "destiny", that they had  
loved each other that many lifetimes ago and an evil force  
had separated them. It was a beautiful story of two souls  
trying to find each other...and a hell of a lot of pressure  
on a relationship. He had wondered sometimes if Endymion  
wasn't "destined" to be with Serenity, would he have loved  
Usagi?   
  
Lately, he had had a lot of time to think about that question.  
The answer to the question didn't surprise him, but the feelings  
behind it did. He knew that he'd love Usagi anyway. He wasn't  
Endymion anymore...which was becoming more and more obvious through  
these dreams. Endymion, while he was smart, was much more light-  
hearted, more of a joker. Mamoru smiled as he realized that as  
Endymion he was more like his friend Motoki than he was like  
himself. As Mamoru, he was much more serious, sadder. As Endymion,  
he had probably needed this Daniella to guide him to his responsibilies  
and give him the confidence that he often didn't have in his role.  
As Mamoru, he needed Usagi to lift his spirits, hold his hand, and  
take him anyway from the seriousness of his role that he had wrapped  
around himself.  
  
In the end, it was a big relief that his love for his Usako was HIS  
love, and not some by-product of some past life over which he had   
no control.  
  
This realization aside, he still had many unanswered questions. What  
was the true relationship between the Earth and the Moon? What was  
Queen Serenity really like? What happened to his family, the royal  
family of Earth? What happened to his fiance? And why was he told  
and led to believe things that weren't true and didn't happen?  
  
Mamoru sighed. He needed to talk to Pluto, now. Later was no longer  
an option. He wanted answers...including answers to why those two  
young men he met last night, Terry and Yusuke, looked so much like  
him. He hoped that May could answer these questions. He had arranged  
to meet her here tomorrow. Until then, there was nothing he could do  
but wait.  
  
The knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. He rose to  
answer it, to find the love of this life on the other side, looking  
worried. "Usako, are you okay?" he asked as he let her in.  
  
Usagi gave herself a little shake and forced a smile, "I'm fine. Just  
worried about keeping you safe." As she stepped further into the room  
she noticed that Mamoru looked distracted, "Mamo-chan? What is it?"  
  
"Usako, what do you remember about the Silver Millennium?"  
  
The question startled her. 'Is he thinking about Serenity again and  
how I'm not like her?' Usagi wondered to herself. As she sank into  
the couch and worried internally about where this conversation was  
going, she said, "I don't remember much. None of us really does,   
except Pluto. I also remember what my mother told me about how the  
Silver Millennium was a time of peace and the Moon kingdom a place of  
great beauty. But..." she trailed off.  
  
"Do you remember what relations were like between the Earth and the   
Moon?"  
  
"No...not really. What little I remember...all I remember is peace."  
Usagi turned to look at her love, "Why are you asking all of these   
questions, Mamo-chan?"  
  
Mamoru took a deep breath as he sat down, "Lately, I've been having   
these dreams-"  
  
At this Usagi jumped up, "No! No! I won't let you leave me for  
my 'own good' behind dreams again. They really may be just dreams.  
I-"  
  
"Whoa, Usako," Mamoru jumped in while holding up his hands, "I'm   
definitely not about to leave you. I haven't been warned off in   
these dreams. They aren't those kind of dreams....But they are  
bothering me."  
  
"Oh," Usagi said as she sank down. "Okay. Tell me, I'll listen."  
  
Mamoru sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "These dreams seem  
more like memories...memories of the Silver Millennium. They are   
full of people I don't know. They must have been my family. And...  
so much about these dreams is a contradiction to everything we've  
ever heard about the Silver Millenmium." He paused, "I'm just   
confused. I want to know what happened."  
  
In hoping to comfort, Usagi reached out to touch Mamoru's arm. He  
pulled her into a hug, and they sat in the hug for hours. In that  
silence they both struggled with their own fears about the past and  
the future...and how to express them in the present.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
This is a totally new chapter and take on part of the story.   
I apologize for changing everything around, but I think it works   
better this way. This will also slow up the progress slightly as  
I rework a few chapters to make this new timeline make sense.  
  
Hold on, this should be a great ride. Please let me know what  
you think of the changes and the story. Thanks for reading.  
  
Also, the phrases "now and forever" and "until the day the  
ocean doesn't touch the sand" are not mine...they are Richard   
Marx's...from the song "Now and Forever" that he wrote for his   
wife. I just thought the words were extremely romantic...so   
I borrowed them.  
~December. 


	10. Past Revelation

Chapter 10: Past Revelation  
  
As was becoming a habit for them, Terry and Yusuke were wandering the city.  
  
"Why are we here?" Yusuke said a loud for the tweleth time.   
  
"Because May insisted that she needed some time alone. It was almost  
like she sent us 'out to play,'" Terry finally answered. "I actually agree  
with you on this one Yusuke. Sending us out with no purpose makes no sense- What is it,  
Yusuke?" Terry asked, noticing that Yusuke paused.  
  
"Something doesn't feeling right," was all the teen said before he shifted to into  
a battle mode.  
  
That put Terry on alert as well...and that was why he managed to hear the whisper. He  
couldn't make out the words, but he was pretty sure they weren't good.  
  
"Get down!" Terry shouted as he tackled Yusuke.   
  
As they both hit the growth, some ball of energy wizzed over them and into the alley.   
It came into contact with something and an explosion was heard.  
  
"What in the hell was THAT?!" Yusuke asked from the ground.  
  
"And who the hell is that?" Terry asked as he looked behind him and noticed a woman  
standing on a building in the distance...in an outfit similar to that one that May  
wore to prove her story to him.  
  
Yusuke followed his gaze. "Yeah, who's the freak on the building?"  
  
At this point the woman walked away from the edge of the roof and seemed to disappear.  
And, as they got off the ground, Terry and Yusuke both tried to figure out what   
just happened...and why the people around them all seemed to be talking about   
something called the sailor senshi.  
  
*****  
As Pluto left the roof, she groaned in frustration. The preemptive strike  
had missed. It would have been so much easier if she had managed to   
injure the reincarnated Tremaine and Arlington. She still wasn't sure  
how they dodged her attack. It was almost if they knew she was there.  
  
'Well, if I can't remove the threat of family, I'll neutralize the threat  
of love,' Pluto thought as she headed to her next destination. If she  
could get Daniella safely out of the picture and off-limits, Endymion   
would only have the princess to turn to. The sooner she made sure Daniella  
was married off, the better.  
  
*****  
As Reika walked into the arcade, she was...well, nervous. Motoki had  
called all excited about something. Reika knew it was something that  
had to do with the wedding. She really didn't want to talk about the   
wedding, however. The dreams kept coming; these dreams where she was  
marrying someone else long ago...at least preparing to. The latest  
dreams really disturbed her because she finally saw her Endy...and  
recognized him.  
  
Like all her other dreams, this one was set at a palace. She was in  
a garden surrounded by beautiful flowers. She seemed to be lost in  
thought when a pair of arms surrounded her and a bunch of golden  
orchids appeared in front of her.  
  
"Good afternoon, my lady," said a male voice lovingly.  
  
Reika felt herself smile and lean back into the arms. She "knew" this  
person...at least she did in her dreams, so she didn't turn around.   
She felt herself smile, "Good afternoon, love." She took the orchids.   
"Thank you." Then she laughed, "That ability of yours to create flowers   
out of thin air is really useful, isn't it?"  
  
The male laughed, "It has gotten me out of a lot of hot water with  
Mummy. White lilies or tea roses just work wonders." Reika  
felt him smile briefly and then become more serious. "Do you think  
we could just duck out of this?"  
  
"Your highness," Reika heard herself say in a slightly reprimanding, but   
supportive voice, "you really should be in attendance. It is a  
discussion of a domestic concern with possible consequences. It   
is also a very tricky situation. In your role as heir apparent,  
protector of the land you should be present. It is also training  
for when you have to lead them yourself. Besides, I'm sure your   
father would appreciate the help. Protocal demands that-"  
  
She felt the man kiss her head, "I know. Those are the political  
reasons at least. But, couldn't we just not be there? Go out  
and enjoy the sunset? Our picture of the happy couple-to-be  
is important."  
  
Reika felt herself smile...and struggle to still sound serious,  
"Yes, our happiness is important...but so are our people. They  
actually come first. I'll always be here to walk with you   
through the garden and watch the sunset. There won't always  
be situations where you have the chance to help on such a big  
scale." She sighed. "I know you are nervous, but you can do  
it. You've talked to me about this issue numerous times.   
I believe in your ability; I always have and I always will."  
  
The arms around her tighted briefly but gently, "I'm so glad I   
have you in my life, Dani."  
  
"I love you too, Endy," Reika heard herself say as she turned  
around to look at the man who held her. In that moment, she  
lost herself in his blue eyes as she drifted forward for a kiss  
and then...  
  
She had shot out of bed, horrified. For weeks she had dreamed of  
marrying this "Endy"...but she had never really been able to   
identify who this person was among the people in her dreams.  
Part of her still hoped that it would turn out to be Motoki...  
or some random stranger. Instead, this dream love of her life  
was the worse person possible...her fiance's best friend, Mamoru  
Chiba. What kind of person was she that she was dreaming of  
marrying her fiance's best friend? And, with dreams like this,  
would it be fair to marry Motoki?  
  
She still hadn't answered those questions in her mind...and now  
Motoki wanted to see her. 'Why now? I can't handle this today,'  
Reika thought to herself as she walked through the arcade doors.  
She saw him almost immediately, behind the counter finishing up with  
a customer. After he was finished he looked up, saw her and motioned  
her over. After giving her a quick kiss, Motoki lauched into his  
brainstorm.  
  
"Reika, I've been noticing that planning the wedding has been a little  
draining on you," Motoki began.  
  
Reika froze. 'Please don't ask me why, please don't ask me why,' she  
pleaded in her head over and over again.  
  
It seemed that someone was listening because Motoki was focused on  
something else, "And I know we had decided that we wanted this wedding  
to be romantic, but we hadn't decided how to make that happen yet."  
  
Reika nodded at this. Back when she first accepted Motoki's proposal  
she had pushed for a big romantic wedding, in hopes that such a wedding  
would destroy the few doubts she had about what she was doing. Up to this  
point all that had done was add to her doubts.  
  
Motoki was still speaking, however. Reika just tuned back in in time  
to hear Motoki mention that tomorrow was the anniversary of the day  
they met, so she really wasn't prepared when he said, "So the best  
way to solve all of our problems is to elope tomorrow."  
  
Reika started at her fiance in shock, "WHAT?!"  
  
Startled by her violent reaction, Motoki repeated his suggestion, "We  
could elope tomorrow."  
  
"But, b-but-" Reika stuttered in confusion, "what about all of our plans?"  
  
"We have the essentials. We can cancel the few bookings that we've made."  
  
"And our friends, what about them? Or our families? Don't we want to  
share this with them?" Reika asked.  
  
"We can throw a huge reception afterwards and have them at that."  
  
"But how can we throw a party that quickly? And who would preform  
the ceremony? And were would we have it? And-"  
  
Motoki smiled, "I have that all taken care of; all you have to do is  
walk out the door with me."  
  
"No!" Reika shreaked. "I can't do this. I can't."  
  
That outburst erased Motoki's smile. Looking surprised, wary, and a  
little hurt, "You can't elope...or you can't marry me?"  
  
Reika just looked at him with eyes that communicated her guilt and   
sorrow.  
  
Motoki gripped tightened on the counter, "Reika, are you saying that you  
can't marry me?"  
  
"No! Yes! I don't know. But I can't - not now, I -" At this Reika's   
voice broke. "I'm sorry but I can't...not today, I-" Tears ran down  
her face as she looked up at Motoki and saw how much she was hurting   
him. "I've gotta go," she said quietly. And with her hand over her  
mouth to cover the sobs, she slowly got up and walked out of the   
arcade. So wrapped up in her own confusion and pain, she wasn't even  
sure if Motoki attempted to call her back.  
  
*****  
  
May left a nearby cafe after having tea, feeling a lot of things.   
The most overwhelming feeling was the one of being trapped. She   
was meeting with Mamoru tomorrow and she was wrestling with the   
way she had manipulated him to get an audience. 'I've turned into   
the people I am working against. How could I just manipulate a   
person like that?! I mean, there had to be another way, didn't   
there? And, even if this works, am I any better than the rouge   
timewalker who started playing with time in the first place?'   
May sighed, 'And, if it doesn't work, if I've ruined any chance   
of convincing Mamoru, of getting him to believe the truth, how am   
I going to tell Terry and Yusuke that their brother doesn't want   
to meet them...really meet them because of something I did?'  
  
Being as lost in thought, May wasn't paying any attention to where   
she was going. For that reason, she didn't see the distraught woman  
coming toward her until they ran into each other.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss- May?" the slightly quavering female voice asked.  
  
May looked up, "Reika!" May also noticed that Reika's bottom lip was   
trembling and she her eyes were teary, "Is everything alright?"  
  
Reika shook her head...and the tears started to fall. "I think I may  
have just broken my engagment."  
  
May's eyes widdened. Looking at her new friend, she decided that her  
own issues could wait, "Come with me," May said gently, as she took  
Reika's arm and led her back to the cafe where she had been reflecting  
earlier. Regardless of who Reika was, today Reika was her friend and   
Reika was in pain. At that moment, all May wanted to do was to help  
a friend. She'd deal with the confusion that was her "assignment" later.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Yes, this chapter has also been severly re-written. I love making things  
more complicated, don't I?  
  
Also, after my massive re-write, this will probably be my last   
update for awhile. I'll still be working on this, but it will be in   
spurts for most of September. I hope you are enjoying this story.   
Oh, and I'm thinking of writing the Silver Millenium prequel.   
I'll finish this story first, I promise.  
  
~December 


	11. Dreamy Confusion

Chapter 11: Dreamy Confusion  
  
May looked across the table at the young woman on the other side,  
who had be crying in earnest since they had bumped into each other  
on the street. It had been hard, leading an obviously distraught  
woman to the cafe, but with a cup of tea in front of her and seated,  
Reika was a little easier to handle. At first, May thought she should  
flat out ask what happened, but she decided that maybe she would wait  
and let Reika say what she wanted to, when she wanted to.  
  
After a few minutes of quiet sobbing, Reika looked up and asked  
May the question that had been running around in her head all   
morning, "What kind of person am I that I'm dreaming of marrying  
my fiance's best friend?"  
  
That question was so different from what May expected that it   
shocked her. She drew in a breath so quickly that she started  
coughing on the tea that was in her mouth. After a few minutes  
of coughing, May asked, "Excuse me?"  
  
It wasn't apparent that Reika heard her. Knowing that at some  
level she had a non-judgmental audience that seemed familiar,  
Reika just tried to put her thoughts in coherent words, "I think  
I just broke an engagement over mere dreams! Okay, that's not  
true...I've had doubts for years, like part of me was in denial  
and waiting for someone. But these dreams of weddings and Mamoru  
and...could this just be stress? Or I am really some kind of bad  
person?" Reika choked on a sob, "He just looked so hurt when he  
asked me if I meant I couldn't marry him. And I can, and I can't,  
and...I don't know anything anymore. I just-" Not being able  
to explain all of her confusion, Reika just escaped into tears,  
putting her head in her hands on the table and sobbing.  
  
Feeling at a loss, May looked at her friend. For some odd reason,  
seeing the young woman sobbing over a broken engagment seemed familiar.  
Yet, May brushed that off to think of what to say to help...if   
anything could. After a few minutes, she had figured out what she  
was going to say, but those words of comfort are not what came out of   
May's mouth.  
  
Instead of merely sympathizing and offering to listen, May put her hand   
on Reika's head and said, "Daniella, I cannot wave a wand and make this   
a perfect world where true love always wins. But I can promise you that   
you won't go through this alone."  
  
Lifetimes ago that statement brought a sobbing duchess some comfort.   
In the present, however, it brought renewed fear to a confused heart.  
  
Reika froze upon hearing May's words. She slowly lifted her head and  
stared at May. "No," she whispered. "No, you couldn't have called  
me that. You wouldn't have known to call me that...unless it is all  
true. Somehow, it must all true." Reika drew away from May. "Who  
are you?" she asked quietly, "And who am I?" she followed up in a   
whisper.  
  
May blinked in surprise at Reika's reaction...and then her eyes widened  
in shock as she proccessed what Reika had just said. 'She remembers...  
something at least....So no what do I do?' May thought herself. After  
taking a deep breath, May had decided upon her course of action and   
opened her mouth to speak...  
  
To never get the chance as she heard her name shouted from behind.  
  
Turning toward the door she saw Terry and Yusuke coming straight  
toward her, looking a little worse for wear. They were both dusty  
and Yusuke had obviously scraped his hands on something. Yusuke   
looked angry...Terry's emotions were unreadable. "What happened  
to you two?" May asked.  
  
"Some bitch freak fired an energy ball at us!" Yusuke ground out.  
  
"A freak fired an 'energy ball' at you?" May managed to get out  
while staring at the boys in front of her. "You have got to be  
kidding me."  
  
"No," Terry said as he shook her head. "With some kind of   
whispered command she sent a ball of energy right toward us.  
It probably would have killed us if it had hit us. I couldn't  
see her clearly, but everyone around us kept muttering about  
sailor 'senshi'-"  
  
"The senshi?" Reika interrupted, clearly puzzled. "But they  
protect the city from monsters and evil. Why would they   
attack you? It doesn't make any sense."  
  
"Look lady," Yusuke said as he leaned into Reika, "I did not just  
imagine being target practice today. She was trying to take us out!"  
  
"Back off, Yusuke," May reprimand. "Reika's having a bad day,  
and she wasn't the one that aimed anything at you." When Yusuke  
didn't look like he was going to stop, she threw him a nasty  
warning look. "Actually, Reika, maybe you can help us. Who are  
these senshi?"  
  
At first Reika looked a little surprised at the question, but,  
after a few minutes she attempted to answer the question. "No  
one knows much about them. A few years ago Toyko began having   
problems with monsters and energy drains. These sailor suited  
warriors appeared, gradually, and began to fight these monsters  
to project us. They have awesome powers and seem to be interested  
in our well being. No one knows who they are, although many  
have speculated." She shrugged, "I'm sorry. I don't know   
anymore."  
  
"Saving people from mysteriously appearing monsters? That's a  
little too convenient," May mused aloud.  
  
Terry snorted, "Protectors? These people fight evil?" As  
Terry continued, his anger came out in his voice, "What  
kind of protector of the city fires at anything with that  
many innocent bystanders around?! She could have easily   
killed anyone on the street that day!"  
  
Reika said quietly, "I don't understand much of anything, anymore."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yusuke shouted.  
  
"Boys, sit down for a moment," May requested. After the Terry  
and Yusuke sat down, May took a deep breath and said, "Reika  
is remembering her life as Lady Daniella."  
  
This statement shocked Reika into silence as she stared at the  
three people who had effectively trapped her into the boothe.   
The other people in the boothe, however, burst into conversation.  
  
"How?" asked Terry.  
  
"Mostly in dreams, it seems...like the rest of us. Unfortunately,  
in her case, it is causing a few complications."  
  
Terry narrowed his gaze at May, "Our dreams caused complications, too."  
  
May returned the look, "I know they did, but not in the same  
way." She sighed, "Look, things are more complicated here.   
Reika is going through a lot. She really needs support in   
this."  
  
"Tremaine? Arlington?" Reika asked in a quiet voice as she looked  
at Terry and then Yusuke.  
  
The two boys were surprised at first to hear themselves being referred  
to by the names from their past, but they did nod in acknowledgement.  
  
"So, you all know who you were?" Reika asked.  
  
"Not all of us," Yusuke said as he threw May a look.  
  
"May doesn't remember who she was, just that she knew us well,"  
Terry elaborated.  
  
Reika's shocked gaze swung to May and then back to Terry and  
Yusuke. "And you two don't remember who she was?" she asked   
the two young men, clearly surprised.  
  
"No, but obviously you do," Terry answered.  
  
"So, yeah, who was she?" Yusuke asked.  
  
Reika opened her mouth to answer, but May cut her off, "As   
great as it would be to find out who I was, we have more   
important things to deal with. One, we have to find a way  
to protect you two," she turned to Terry and Yusuke, "from  
energy blast from random city protectors. Two, we need to   
be ready to offer support to Reika. And three...well  
three I have to do on my own."  
  
May turned back to Reika, "I realize that this is amazingly  
overwhelming...and we may not be the people you want to   
hang around at the moment. If you just need some space,  
that's fine. In fact, here." May pushed a piece of paper  
across the table to Reika, "That's our address and phone  
number here. Call us if you need anything." Reika nodded  
and moved to leave. As Terry let her out of the boothe,  
May added, "And one more thing. Regardless of who I was  
back then, Reika, I am your friend now. And I'm here if  
you need to talk."  
  
Reika smiled sadly as the memory of a hurting queen comforting  
a broken-hearted duchess floated through her mind. "You  
were there for me then, too, May." Then, with much on  
her mind, Reika walked out of the cafe on her way home.  
  
Not much had changed in that twenty minutes, and everything  
had changed in that twenty minutes. 'The only way I'm going   
to get closure,' Reika thought to herself, 'is to talk to   
Mamoru myself about everything. Tomorrow.'  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Warning: I have seriously rewritten this story again. (I   
keep changing my mind about the order of stuff.) If you   
have been following this story for a while, it is a good  
idea to re-read chapter 9 on...or just start from the   
beginning. I'm trying to make this a better story...and  
with each change I think it is getting there.  
  
And for those of you who are a little lost, I'm working  
on a way of making things a little clearer. Thanks for   
reading.  
~December 


	12. Red eyes, Angry voices, Mused hair

Chapter 12: Red Eyes, Angry Voices, Mused Hair  
  
Looking into his cup of coffee, Mamoru once again wondered if this was  
the best idea. Yes, he wanted answers. And his appartment was his  
home turf. Should May be an enemy, he would have the advantage here.  
Pluto's warning about strangers still rang in his head, but then  
Pluto wasn't providing answers. When it camme down to it, he just  
had to know.  
  
At the engagement party May had given him the first hope in years of having some...  
connection, some tie to the family he couldn't remember. That was enough to cause  
him to take some risks...and to really start to think about his life. His head had been  
spinning as he tried to make sense of everything that May had said two nights before.  
  
Add to that the dream he had last night. Although it still felt like a memory, this dream   
was clearer than the others. In his dream, he was Endymion once again, out in the royal   
practice fields, throwing javelen rather angrily.  
  
"Why did she do it?" he shouted as he hurled another javelan, not looking at where it landed.  
At that point he really didn't care.  
  
"Whoa! Watch where you hurl those things. I like my hair this length," said a female  
voice tinged with laughter. As she came up to him, she held up her hands in front of  
her. "I am unarmed. I come in peace."  
  
"Lady Maxine!" Mamoru heard himself say, "I'm so sorry."  
  
"That's okay," the female said. Mamoru could see her now. She wore an elaborate court  
dress of yellow and black. She was what American tourists would probably call "African-  
American". She had her long hair arranged in a braided style with a long  
strand of pink hair woven through the creation. She had come to a stop next to him and   
had put her hands on her hips. "Taking out some aggression, I see."  
  
Obviously Endymion made some kind of face, because the female took her hands from her hips  
and cross them in front of him and shot him a look.  
  
"Don't be like that," she admonished. "I know." She laughed at what must have been his  
surprised expression, "Everyone who has been near the castle today knows. It is not like  
either of you were quiet when you had your 'disagreement'." She paused, then she put her  
hand on his shoulder, "Your mother meant well, Endymion. You must believe that."  
  
"What I believe is that she lied to me." he said as he shrugged off her hand and picked up   
another javelan. He turned back to the woman he called Maxine, "They sent you out to plead   
her case?" His voice sounded surprised, almost as if he was questioning the judgement of  
this "they".  
  
"Yeah, well," the lady shrugged her shoulders. "Tremaine is siding with your mother; Arlington,  
with you. They are currently in the middle of a rather loud 'disagreement' of their own.   
Lady Keiko has the awesome task of playing referee." She laughed, and then sobered. "Your father   
is in the eastern providence...because of the cave-in. Your mother wanted to go with him,   
but he saw how upset she was over this, so he insisted she stay here. Lady Daniella is with her  
now, probably pleading your case. That left me." Brown eyes looked serious as they stared  
at him, "Your mother did what she thought was best."  
  
"Best?!" Endymion counted, "Deliberate deceit was best?! Come now, Lady Maxine, I don't   
buy that. Mother doesn't either; honesty is too important to her. She knew what she  
was doing."  
  
The woman in front of him appeared to become frustrated, "Goodness, every last one of  
you is too stubborn by half! Yes, she knew what she was doing; is that what you what  
to hear? She knew the contests were dangerous. She knew that Kilgore and Saltmire would  
cheat...and that you wouldn't. She knew that many a man came back dead from such   
activities. And she 'knew' that you wouldn't listen to her if she tried to tell you  
all of this." The woman stopped and took a deep breath, as if she was trying to   
calm down. After a second she continued, "Did you need to be at those meetings? No.  
Was is a bad idea for you to be there? Probably not. You ARE going to have to lead  
those things yourself one day." The lady shrugged, "It could have been worse."  
  
Still feeling angry...and now a little guilty, the heir apparent countered, "I don't   
see how." He reached down to pick up another javelan.  
  
The woman practically shreaked in frustration. "That's it. I give up. If you   
want to play spoiled brat out here with your sharp toys, don't let me stop you."  
She began to walk off, turning back only once to impart this closing thought, "When  
you grow up, you may want to talk to your mother. Her heart is breaking over your  
treatment of her lately. I think that is enough of a punishment for whatever  
deception she practiced, don't you?"  
  
In the light of day the dream still made no sense to Mamoru. It seemed more like  
a memory. It was also like the other dreams he'd had in that some of the same names  
appeared, including Daniella. While he had figured out who Daniella was at least,   
the other names still puzzled him. "Tremaine, Arlington...Keiko, Maxine," he whispered   
to himself quietly, "Who are these people? And what happened to them?"  
  
The young man groaned in frustration and took another sip of the now lukewarm coffee in  
front of him. He pushed it to the side and ran his fingers through his hair in  
frustration. 'What does this dream mean?' He asked himself. 'And why did I have it   
last night of all nights? I don't understand any of this!' He sighed...and turned  
his mind back to his dream as he waited for May...and, possibly, a concrete tie to  
a past he could no longer remember.  
  
*****  
She knocked on the door nervously. She came alone, just because she thought it was best. He   
had the right to refuse. To force Terry and Yusuke on him before he had made up his mind   
wasn't ethical, and it wasn't fair. Both of his brothers had been given a choice; they   
both had the chance to turn the opportunity down without having to stare their sibling in  
the face. After all she had already put him through, Mamoru Chiba, the former Prince  
Endymion, heir to the throne of Earth, deserved that much.  
  
He opened the door and showed her in. As she made her way over to the couch in front  
of the coffee table, she took a deep breath, still clutching the covered framed picture   
that she brought with her. She promised him a picture; again, she owed him that much.   
She just hoped he'd listen to her.  
  
"Thanks you for seeing me, Mamoru," May said softly as she reached the table.  
  
"No, thank you for seeing me." Mamoru said as he sat at the other end of the couch.   
He noticed the covered frame in her hand. Realizing what it must be, he got a little   
nervous, "I see you found a picture."  
  
May sighed. Looking down at the frame that she clutched, she found herself answering   
honestly. "Yes, I found a picture of some of your family. But it is not the picture I   
promised; there is no way for me to produce that."  
  
Mamoru stared at her oddly, "What do you mean?"  
  
May blinked the tears from her eyes. "I don't know how to explain this. I-"  
She stopped suddenly. She closed her eyes and mubbled very quietly,   
"It shouldn't be this hard. He knows about his past. This won't be like the  
hard sells I've had to make twice already." She opened her eyes and looked up   
at the ceiling to ask God, "Are you sure that I was the right person for this job?"  
  
"May?" Mamoru asked, "Are you okay?"  
  
May shook her head and seemed to come back to the conversation at hand. Blushing  
at having been caught musing and praying aloud, she quickly reoriented herself. "Here," she  
said as she handed the covered frame toward him. "Hopefully, you'll still want  
to talk to me after you see this picture."  
  
Mamoru unwrapped the frame and looked at the picture inside it. There was a surprised  
silence from that end of the couch. May understood why. Instead of seeing a modern  
picture of a woman, a man, and a little boy or baby he saw a picture of three young  
men in a type of armor, tights, and capes, each wearing swords. It also looked more  
like a portrait. 'In fact, it used to hang in the Great Hall,' May thought. Then she   
realized that the thought she just had made no sense. Before she could think much about  
her discovery, however, she was interrupted with by a voice simulataneously angry and  
wary.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"  
  
May looked Mamoru in the eye. It was time to come clean. "I am who I said I am...for the  
most part. My name is May Lavon Hammond. I was born in Virginia, a state in the United  
States of America. I - well, more about my life really isn't important. What is   
important is why I'm here. Over two weeks ago I was give an assignment, an opportunity  
to reunite a family, the former royal family of Earth. The family in that picture," May said   
as she gestered to the frame. "A family that was separated a long time ago." May laughed, but   
there was no joy in it, "Actually, you are the most likely to believe me in that you know   
about that era of unrecorded history...some called it the Silver Millenium, although I   
would never refer to it that way." She looked back into Mamoru's eyes, "I'm bringing   
the royal family back together. That's it."  
  
Mamoru's eyes narrowed in suspision, "And destroying anything or anyone left from the  
Silver Millenium as well."  
  
May shook her head. "As fair as that would probably be, no, I have no plans or intentions  
of doing anything to the survivors of that reign of tyrrany. All I'm here to do is to   
bring together the family...and put someone on notice."  
  
That hadn't lowered Mamoru's defenses at all, "Did you think Pluto wouldn't know you were  
here, or warn us about us?"  
  
"Pluto," May repeated. "So the rogue timewalker has a name. As for her knowing I was here,  
I figured she'd find out eventually. As I haven't been attacked personally, my guess is   
that she doesn't quite realize where the threat to her fiction is coming from, but I knew  
that she would know. And of course she would warn you. She worked too hard not too."  
  
Mamoru looked at the woman across from him. She sounded like an emeny...yet she didn't   
feel like one. And her comments about Pluto were...strange. Deciding that knowledge  
was power, he asked, "Her fiction?"  
  
May nodded, "Yes, her fiction. This Pluto created this world...in a sense. She arranged  
everything in it to the best interest of the princess of moon. She altered perceptions   
of the Silver Millenium to make it seem a great civilization of peace. She scattered the   
royal family of Earth and those they loved across dimensions, time, and space. And she   
purposefully altered and erased your memories, of this life and your last."  
  
Considering the turns his life had taken in the past few years, Mamoru didn't think   
anything could shock him anymore. He was wrong. "What?!"  
  
May sighed, "You've been having strange dreams lately, right?" Mamoru warily nodded.  
"Well, they aren't dreams in the conventional sense; they are repressed memories.   
The Silver Millenium didn't happen the way you 'remember' it. As you know,  
you were Prince Endymion of Earth during that time. What you don't know is that you  
were the oldest of three; you had two younger brothers, Tremaine and Arlington...and loving  
parents. You were also engaged-"  
  
"To princess Serenity-"  
  
"Eventually," May conceded, "But that was more to protect Earth from the wrath of Queen   
Serenity. Before the empress decided she wanted Earth added to her collection of planets  
to dominate, you were engaged to Lady Daniella, a high ranking duchess of Earth. Your  
brothers had also found loves of their own in Lady Maxine and Lady Keiko...but no one   
really got their happy endings."  
  
'Daniella, Tremaine, Arlington, Maxine, and Keiko...that would explain who all of those  
people were,' Mamoru acknowledged to himself. Aloud, however, he felt he needed to   
question what was going on as well. May's explanation could be the truth...but it  
was also a little too convenient. In a very sceptical and slightly angry voice, Mamoru   
interrupted with, "Is this another plot of some jealous evil queen? Is whoever you work   
for upset because Serenity and I found each other again?! If you think you can break us up-"  
  
"Now wait a minute!" May's voice rose, "Setting aside the fact that I told you the  
truth about why I'm here, which is solely to reunite the royal family, there never was   
any Endymion and Serenity; at least not any based on love. Duty and fear, sure, but   
not love! That's part of the fiction your 'Pluto' worked so hard to create! I am not   
the emeny," May tried to finish in a calmer voice, "I'm trying to right wrongs-"  
  
"How would you know they were wrongs?!"  
  
"Part of me was alive back then!" May finally screamed out. "Part of me was someone  
close to the royal family back then," she elaborated quietly, "and although I don't   
remember much, I do know that you have been manipulated and fed a fiction."  
  
"Why should I believe you?" Mamoru whispered harshly back at May as he threw her a look  
of total mistrust...while internally he admitted that some of what she was saying made   
sense.  
  
"Because I'm no Serenity. I'm not a tyrant. This is not about power or handing you to  
my spoiled daughter like a gift. I'm telling you the truth!" May leaned forward as  
she made her next point, "And, on some level you believe me, or you would have kicked  
me out or attacked me much earlier in this conversation."  
  
That angered Mamoru...in part because he was concerned by the truth in that. He had doubts  
...at least doubts of Pluto. But, instead of working through that, he responded in righteous  
indigation, "The fact that I haven't acted yet means nothing. Why should I believe you? You   
lied to get to me. The people in this picture with me are obviously in liege with you  
as they were with you at the engagement party. How do I know that you aren't some kind of  
mastermind..."  
  
That observation floored May; she was very surprised that Mamoru had recognized Terry and   
Yusuke in their past forms. She had as well...but she knew it wasn't easy to do. Neither   
boy in that picture had as much of the weight of the world on them in that picture as they   
carried around now. But, as she opened her mouth in surprise, the angry young man in front  
of her continued.  
  
"You manipulated my feelings. And then you act like you were justified in doing all of   
that! If you are telling the truth, you are behaving no better than you accuse Queen Serenity  
of behaving. Did you figure it was okay to manipulate me because you claim that someone  
else already has?!-"  
  
Hearing what she had wrestled with all day yesterday thrown back in her face hit May hard.  
All of her fear about the path she took came back to haunt her. 'I did the wrong thing,' she  
thought to herself. 'I cut corners and now I've done more damage, hurt more people...Why  
did I think I could do this?! I'm not qualified. I'm still way too human. I-' "I can't do   
this!" she finally burst out. "There is no way. I just can't fight this!" she finished  
in a whisper. She'd lost. Once lapse in ethics and she'd wounded a man, manipulated him as he   
claimed...when all she wanted to do was to give him back one of the families that had been  
torn from him. 'I shouldn't have accepted. Lord, I wasn't the right one to do this! I  
brought your child more suffering.' She couldn't fight this time walker...or the effects   
of the lie she herself purposely told.   
  
Guilt and failure are powerful feelings...and they were crushing May. She felt ready to   
crumble. All she wanted to do was cry. She expected to burst into sobs and her normal messy   
crying...but that isn't what happened. Instead, she seemed to sag, and she heard herself   
say in a strange voice, "Crowns aren't heavy until you do something to dishonor them."  
  
*****  
"Crowns aren't heavy until you do something to dishonor them."  
  
That phrase rang in Mamoru's head. It was enough to make him stop...and that slight pause  
was all that his memory needed.  
  
"If there is one thing I want to be sure to teach you about the responsbility of ruling,"  
the female voice said in Mamoru's memory, "it is this: Crowns aren't heavy...until you  
do something ot dishonor them. Rule fairly, with mercy. Walk upright and pray. Show  
yourself responsible enough to have the weight of the world set with diamonds upon your  
head."  
  
"Mother," Mamoru heard himself reply in the memory, "are you telling me that I shouldn't have-"  
  
"All I'm saying," the voice interrupted, "is that ruling isn't easy. Tough decisions   
like this will be normal. Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions...just don't  
take actions that would make you ashamed to wear your crown in the brightness of day."  
  
The voice faded, but it was enough to make Mamoru pause and look again at May...who looked  
assaulted and ashamed. And yet...they was something familar about her eyes...and the   
statement she had just said. "Who are you?" he asked again, but softer this time, more puzzled.  
At May confused look, he clarified, "I mean, assuming I believe you, back then,   
who were you? Because-" He stopped as if unsure how to verbalize what he was thinking.  
  
At this May sighed, "I don't know. I was only told that I...well, that part of me lived   
back then and that I knew your family well. I don't know anything else really. I remember  
...being around you and your brothers then. I remember pieces of conversations that make  
no sense." She looked down at the table again, "I'm sorry."  
  
"You knew my family - my Silver Millenium family," Mamoru clarified. At May's nod, he  
took a deep breath. True, maybe at this point he should make her leave. She had   
admitted that she lied to him and that she was...in some ways, working against the  
people he had allied himself with. But that need to know pushed him to ask, "Then you   
knew my parents, the king and queen. What-" Mamoru's voice caught as he realize what  
he might finally find out. After clearing his throat, he tried agian, "What were   
they like?"  
  
At first May was about to answer that she didn't know, but suddenly, the answer came to   
her...although the response seemed to be odd. Not seeing any other option, she   
began to say what popped in her head, remembering that she was in the situation because  
she had tried to do things her way, in a way that "made sense". "The king, well he was a   
great ruler. I guess it would be a little cliche to call someone the 'king of hearts',   
but he was. His people adored him, and he in turn adored them. He was very smart, with   
a great head for politics and science. He wasn't as great with his emotions; he felt   
strongly, but he couldn't always...verbalize his feelings. I think that worried him,   
but his queen could see his heart. She tended to understand him...and worked rather   
hard to make him laugh and smile so that he wouldn't be all seriousness.  
  
"The queen...had a huge heart and was a loyal and spiritual person. Her problem was her  
tendency to reach for revenge or bitterness when her own were attacked. Actually, she was  
a lot like Terry and Yusuke are now. She wasn't quite the hothead...although she did have a   
sarcastic streak, but she definitely wasn't the calm one. Ironically, all of her mistakes  
seemed to teach her something...which she passed on. I...I can't seem to remember more  
than that. I can't - I don't even remember what they looked like."  
  
Mamoru looked down at the picture in his hands...and thought. The way May got her opening  
to talk to him was very unethical. He was still a little angry with her about that. Then   
he thought to his dream. 'If the dream was a memory...and May is telling the truth...maybe  
she thought that lying was the only way to get me to listen.' Mamoru closed his eyes.   
None of this made any sense to him, but now he was beginning to believe that good and evil  
in this case was not as black and white as everyone else saw it. May believed what she had said  
here...and he believed that parts of her story were possible. But he needed time to think.  
  
"Mamoru?" May asked quietly, "I know I'm...a little hard to trust at this point, but don't   
hold that against your brothers. They are here; you met them briefly at the party. They want   
to really meet you, to talk to you and with you about your shared past. At least, Terry does,"  
May added in a effort to be totally truthful. Why Yusuke hadn't demanded to be sent back home,  
May didn't understand; what she did know is that family was very important to Terry, and he  
wanted to get to know these young men who were members of his family long ago. "I can take you  
to them if you want. No kidnapping, I promise. It is your decision." May offered.  
  
Mamoru looked up at the end of May's quiet monologue, "You lied to me, to get me here. Then  
you turn my world upside-down. I don't think you are lying now-"  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"-not about this," Mamoru continued as if May hadn't spoken. "That doesn't mean that I don't   
think you're wrong or that something is wrong..." He ran a hand through his hair, "I need to   
think about this." He paused, and then added, "Before I meet anyone or go anywhere I need  
to think about it...and I need to have your promise for honesty from now on."  
  
Grateful that she hadn't ruined everything, May assured Mamoru, "You have it. No more   
deliberate deceit, I promise. And I understand your need to think about it. I'm still   
trying to figure everything out." May tried to smile reassuringly, but some of her  
anger over how well the rouge timewalker had manipulated the situation to her advantage  
came out in next statement she made, "The only thing I'm sure of is that the Moon Kingdom was   
nothing more than a tyrrany."  
  
Mamoru winced at the statement, said with such conviction, that was contray to everything  
he knew and had known for the last few years of his life. "I can't believe that," he   
admitted fiercly. "I admit that I don't have much of a memory of the Silver Millenium,  
and that Pluto hasn't told us much about it, but I refuse to believe that-"  
  
Even though she knew that her recent actions did not make her a reliable source in his  
eyes, his continued reliance on the princess's court for information irked her. "Your   
'Pluto', the empress's timewalker, changed and surpressed your memories. Separated you   
from your family, friends - on purpose!" May pointed out. "How can you not believe that   
is evil? That such an action must spring from a former tyrrany?"  
  
"I can't believe that Princess Serenity-"  
  
"Serenity!" Something about that name made part of May very angry. Before she could really think  
about what she was about to say, she heard her voice saying, "if she's anything like her mother,   
she a selfish despot waiting to happen,"  
  
"No! She has a pure heart; she's isn't the emeny!" That was one of the few things that Mamoru  
was sure of, and his voice held that convinction  
  
"Then I am?" May asked in a wounded voice as she attempted to follow his logic. "All I wanted   
to do was to bring a family back together! How is that-"   
  
Mamoru held up a hand to silence her. "I need to sort this out on my own."  
  
May looked down at her hands and then back up at the young man in front of her, "So, your  
answer is no, then?" she asked quietly.  
  
Mamoru shook his head, "My answer is not now." With that he rose, and, understanding the hint,  
May allowed him to show her to the door.  
  
*****  
  
'I still can't believe I'm doing this,' Reika thought to herself as she stood at the  
appartment door. That she was standing outside of Mamoru's door was still shocking,  
especially considering he was her probably ex-fiance's best friend. She had gotten there on  
auto-pilot, still reeling from the day before.  
  
Still shaken from the conversation with May and company, Reika had gotten home to  
see the light on her answering machine blinking and the phone ringing. Knowing that  
she couldn't deal with any phone calls, especially if they were from Motoki, she   
cut off the ringer on her phone and turned down the volume on her answering machine.  
Then she sat in her darkened bedroom and tried to figure out what she now knew...  
and how her life had changed in the last hour. After lots of confusion and more  
tears, she fell asleep...  
  
...to dream of herself as a sobbing Lady Daniella, surrounded by visibly saddened  
members of the royal family, crying in the arms of the queen, who told her that  
she wasn't alone in that unfair universe.  
  
Awaking to late morning sunshine and a tear-stained pillowcase, Reika renewed her  
resolve to talk to Mamoru.  
  
She knocked on the door. After a few moments, it opened. Mamoru stared at her in  
surprise. "Reika?"  
  
As she looked at him, she saw the man she had known as Motoki's best friend. Yet, in  
his eyes, she saw Daniella's Endy; that was enough to cause her to tear up again.   
"May I come in? I have to talk to you."  
  
As Mamoru tell her in, Reika kept thinking over and over again, 'What am I going to   
say?' Finally, after he had closed the door and come back into the living room where  
she was still standing, he asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen between you  
and Motoki?"  
  
Reika stared at him with wide eyes, "I think I'm going crazy," she finally said   
after a few beat of silence. Then it all came pouring out.  
  
"I mean, who breaks an engagment over weird dreams?!" Reika asked as she paced  
back and forth in front of the couch, "Okay, yes I had doubts before  
then, but having dreams of another time, another wedding, and you. And feeling  
like I was supposed to be marrying someone else. And dream after dream that made  
no sense until I recognized you and May in them," not noticing Mamoru's startled  
reaction to this piece of information, she continued, "And then being asked to   
elope while trying to make sense of the dreams. Then to mention the dreams to  
someone and hear about past lives and-" Reika broke off suddenly and then looked  
at Mamoru, "Please just tell me that these are just bridal nerves and you'll help  
me get my life back on track,"  
  
At that moment, Mamoru could have said many things, but in trying to make sense  
of the whole new load of information he asked a question instead, "Daniella?"  
  
"Oh crap," Reika whispered as she sank to the floor, "Crap. It really is all  
true." She looked up at Mamoru, "You were a prince in this past life and I was  
supposed to marry you. We were in love and I was supposed to-" tears ran down  
her face. She probably would have made another observation if the phone hadn't   
start to ring at that moment. She gave Mamoru a panicked look, begging him not   
to pick up the phone. He didn't...but that meant they heard the caller on the  
other end when the answering machine picked up.  
  
"Mamoru, it's Motoki," said a voice that sounded nothing like his usually   
cheerful friend. "If you are there, please pick up." A noise, possibly  
an indrawn breath or a strangled sob was heard over the line. "I need   
to talk to someone. I think Reika just broke up with me. I don't understand  
what happened or why it happened. We were so happy-" His voice broke off  
again and after a pause, he finished, "Please. I really need to talk to   
someone. She won't return my calls. I don't know what to do. Just...  
call." And then there was a click, signifying the end of the call.  
  
There were a few moments of silence as the last sentence, then from the  
floor Reika said, "God, what in the hell do I do now?" She looked up  
at Mamoru, total confusion evident on her face, "Was I living some  
kind of lie? Do I continue to live it? Or am I supposed to marry you?"  
  
"Reika," Mamoru felt impelled to qualify, "whoever we were back then, I love  
Usagi now. That's not going to change."  
  
From the floor Reika sighed, "I know that. I thought I loved Motoki too, but..."  
Reika took a deep breath and pulled herself off the floor. Turning her  
back to Mamoru as she wiped away the tears still running down her face she said,  
"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have unloaded everything on you. I'm sure  
you have enough on your mind without me crying on your doorstep-"  
  
Mamoru was only able to identify what happened next because it had happened   
a few times before. The present him lost control and the part of him that  
was Endymion took over, "Daniella, don't do this. Don't be strong for me."  
  
"Endy?" Reika asked in a voice that wasn't hers, "Is fate against us? Will  
we never be able to be together? I-"  
  
With that, the reincarnated prince opened his arms, and the reincarnated duchess  
went into them to sob out her continuing pain. Her voice was slightly muffled  
by his shirt, but she could still be understood. "I do not think that I can do  
this again. Even with your mother here as well, offering her comfort, I don't think-"  
  
The words "your mother" snapped Mamoru back to the present, "My mother? My Silver  
Millenium mother? She's here?"  
  
Reika drew away from him puzzled, "You didn't recognize her either? I know she's  
younger, but she hasn't changed...not much anyway. Why is it that none of you  
know who she is? Don't you remember her?"  
  
Mamoru sank down onto his couch, "No," he admitted quietly. "I don't remember  
much of anything from the Silver Millenium. What I do 'remember'...well, I think  
that some of it didn't happen. I don't remember my family at all. If it wasn't  
for my dreams of late...I wouldn't remember you."  
  
Reika sat on the couch next to him, saddness reflected in her eyes, as if she  
understood some of his pain. She reached out to touch his shoulder. Their  
eyes met. And as they watched old and new pain battle for dominance in the   
other persons eyes, they slowly drifted into a hug. One sobbed out her confusion  
while the other held on tight as tears of loss and helplessness slowly ran down  
his face.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
This is the best angst I've ever written! And poor Reika. Poor Mamoru. Poor  
Motoki. And just wait until Usagi finds out about this (as soon as I figure out  
how she finds out about this).  
  
What did you think of this chapter? Let me know. Thanks for reading.  
~December 


	13. Was It Paradise?

Chapter thirteen: Was It Paradise?  
  
Usagi sighed as she walked down the hall. She still wasn't sure she  
should be doing this, but she had jumped all over Mamoru when he didn't  
share his dreams with her; turnabout was fairplay. Making the decision   
to share the dream did not make her feel better, however; a feeling of  
fear and disquiet hadn't left her heart since she woke up from her   
dream this morning.  
  
In the dream she was Serenity, and it seemed to be set in the Silver   
Millennium. In fact, it almost felt like a memory. She was sitting  
in a garden on Earth, talking to Luna, who was in her human form.  
  
"Luna, I'm not really sure what to think anymore. Originally, I  
agrred to go along with an engagment to an earthern noble because  
Mother pointed out that such an arrangment was politically necessary.  
To have a planet in our solar system that was not a part of our   
alliance was 'leaving ourselves open for attack,' therefore an   
unbreakable alliance was necessary. I'd resigned myself to my fate.  
But then I met Endymion. I got to know him, and-"  
  
"That changed everything," Luna finished.  
  
"Well, yes, it did. I have always wanted to marry for...well, for   
friendhsip if not love. I wanted to marry someone to whom I could   
talk. I cannot talk to my court. They are so formal and so careful  
about what they say around me." Serenity sighed, "I do not think  
they like me very much."  
  
Luna nodded.  
  
Serenity started to pluck the petals from the rose in her lap as she  
continued to speak, "When I first agreed to Mother's idea about a  
political marriage, I thought that I was signing away the chance to  
marry for friendship. But, somewhere in those diplomatic meetings  
and visits, I found that I could talk to Prince Endymion. And I think  
I fell in love with him, with his dedication, his insecurity, and his   
laughter. In some ways he was the kind of person I wanted to be, and,  
when he proposed-"  
  
"You had hope," Luna said, nodding her head. "You thought that your  
feelings were returned." Luna gave Serenity a small, encouraging  
smile. "There is no reason to think that they are not. Just because  
some on this planet seen hostile to you does not mean that he is."  
  
"I know," the princess replied. "But his proposal was so...cold. It  
seemed almost like he was reading a treaty and asking me to sign it.  
And since then he has seemed so sad. I want to help, but I do not  
know how."  
  
"Go find him," Luna suggested. "Go find him and tell him how you feel.  
Maybe together you can figure out what to do."  
  
Serenity got up, brushed the rose petals off of her dress, and hugged  
Luna. "Thank you for listening, for helping. You are a great friend,  
the only one I have."  
  
"You have a good heart, princess, no matter what your other genes might  
be."  
  
Serenity nodded and left Luna to go in search of her prince. As she was  
leaving the gardens, she heard a muffled voice that sounded familar.  
Going back into the garden, she followed the sound until she was almost  
at the main clearing in the palace gardens. As she approached the   
clearing was blocked by a rose bush, but as she rounded the corner she  
saw more than she wanted to see.  
  
From the edge of the clearing she heard Endymion say, "Daniella...I may   
have to marry the princess of the moon, but she will never have my heart.   
You are my 'now and forever'. I won't forget you." If that did not hurt  
her heart enough, when she stepped into the clearing sight added to sound.  
  
Endymion had a sobbing woman in his arms and he had tears running down  
his own face. That wouldn't have been so disturbing, if the closeness  
between the two people in the embrace wasn't so evident. In fact, they  
appeared to cling to each other as if they were trying to hold onto   
their other half. 'Endymion never holds me like that,' Serenity thought  
to herself. In fact, Endymion had never behaved that openly or  
warmly around her. In that moment a fear she had never considered, that  
Endymion may not love her, washed over her like a tital wave.  
  
Serenity gasped and watched two heads turn in her direction before Usagi  
woke up.  
  
Usagi had sat in bed, horrified. Had Endymion really not loved Serenity?  
Who was this "Daniella" and why did she seem familar? What did Luna  
mean about Serenity's "genes"? The questions swirled around in Usagi's  
head, but is always came back to whether or not Endymion had loved  
Serenity and what that meant for her and Mamoru.  
  
At that is what led her to Mamoru's apartment building on a Saturday  
afternoon. At first, she'd thought about talking to the other senshi  
about her dream, but decided against it. She was afraid that they  
might trivivalize her fears. Also, she really didn't want to have  
to recount the part of her dream that made their past lives seem cold.  
The Luna she knew was definitely not as supportive as the one in her  
dream and she really couldn't tell someone who didn't already know about  
her past as the moon princess. So that left Mamoru. She really hoped   
that he'd tell her that it was just something she ate and that   
everything was going to be okay.  
  
As she neared Mamoru's door, she noticed that it was ajar. A little  
concerned about this, she decided to walk in without knocking to make  
sure everything was okay. What she saw as she entered the living room  
was enough to make her gasp in surprise and freeze in her tracks.  
  
In a scene straight out of her dream, Mamoru had his arms around another  
woman...and they seemed to be clingoing to each other for dear life.   
  
At her gasp, the two crying people turned to look at her. At that moment  
Usagi knew who the Daniella in her dreams was and why she looked familar.  
Daniella looked exactly like Reika, the Reika she knew as Motoki's   
girlfriend and then fiancee. The Reika who had been crying in Mamoru's  
arms, who was practically in his lap when Usagi walked in. "Oh my God,"  
Usagi said quietly.  
  
That spurred Mamoru into action. Letting go of Reika and jumping to   
his feet, he began to cross the room toward Usagi. "Usako, this is not  
what it looks like."  
  
"Then what's going on here?" Usagi asked as she felt herself beginning  
to tear up again. She looked at Reika and then at Mamoru. "Why?"  
she asked. "Reika's engaged to your best friend! And I thought we-"  
Usagi choked on a sob. "I want an explanation."  
  
At the word 'explanation' Reika wiped the tears from her eyes and began  
to stare at upset young blonde across the room. Reika had never felt  
completely comfortable around Usagi and she had never understood why...  
until this moment. Looking at Usagi's wide blue eyes, she finally  
recognize her for who she was, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom.  
  
Then Reika felt anger, the anger of losing her Endy to the same woman...  
twice! She felt the anger that came with realizing that while her life  
was a cluster fuck, Usagi's life was sweetness and light. And Usagi had  
the nerve to look all injured when nothing happened and nothing ever   
would happen-  
  
Reika sprang to her feet. "I don't understand what you're so upset about.  
Everything has conveniently worked to your advantage."  
  
"Reika," Mamoru warned, but neither woman was paying any attention to him.  
  
"What?" Usagi asked, very confused by the sudden attack from Reika.  
  
"Oh don't play dumb with me, Serenity," Reika spat. Noting that Usagi's  
eyes widened, Reika continued. "Yes, I know you're Serenity. Did you  
think that I would never figure it out? How many years have you been  
laughing at my ignorance? How many years have you been internally   
gloating about how things somehow managed to 'work out' for you?"  
  
Usagi was shocked, both by Reika's attitude and by the fact that Reika  
had called her Serenity. "What do you mean?" Usagi asked. Half  
of what Reika said didn't make any sense. What did make sense to Usagi  
was that Reika was staking some claim on her Mamo-chan and that Reika  
somehow didn't understand how that would upset her. That actually made  
Usagi angry. "I found you in the arms of MY BOYFRIEND!" Usagi countered.  
"How was I supposed to react?"  
  
"Oh please, spare me this 'I've been wronged, I'm wounded' crap. He's  
yours. You have him tied to you as securely in this life as you had  
him in the last, albeit for different reasons. You know nothing   
happened. You knew nothing was going to happen. I'd ask you how you  
do it, but I don't think I'd want to be the bitch I'd have to be to win  
the game you're playing."  
  
Mamoru had had enough with that statement. "Reika, leave her alone.  
Regardless of how we ended up in this situation, it is not Usagi's  
fault," he said.  
  
"Wait, are you admitting to a past relationship with her?" Usagi asked,  
sounding wounded.  
  
"You are taking HER side?!" Reika shouted angrily as she pointed to   
Usagi. "She had to have a hand in...everything! This kind of situation  
doesn't 'just happen'! And she's the only one who stands to benefit   
from the way things are!"  
  
Mamoru raised his hands in front of him, "Look, all I'm saying is that  
there is nothing to fight about here. I'm not sure what happened in  
the past or what happened to make the present this way. What I do   
know is that whatever happened, no one in this room is to blame for it."  
  
"How is she a part of your past? And why didn't you tell me?" Usagi  
cried.  
  
"I can't believe that you think she's blameless!" Reika exploded. "It's  
like - Oh, I get it." Reika said more softly as a resigned comprehension  
crossed her face. "This is about sides, and you've chosen one. Hers.  
Don't worry," she continued as it looked as if Mamoru was going to   
say something, "I'm on my way out; I won't bother you again." Reika  
took a deep breath and walked past both a tormented Mamoru and a   
distressed Usagi. As she reached the door, Reika turned around and  
said to Mamoru, "Earlier you alluded to the fact that we are different  
people than we were then. Well, you're right. The Endy I knew cared  
about his family. That you are shutting out your brothers and your   
mother...it blows my mind. And the Endy I knew, well-" Reika sighed  
as a tear rolled down her cheek. "A long time ago the man I loved told  
me that I was his 'now and forever'. I believed him; it got me through  
the pain of losing him for the greater good. I'm glad I didn't realize  
then that it was a lie." And with that parting statement, Reika opened  
the door and walked out.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Help, help, help! I'm at the stage when I'm trying to wrap up the   
story and I need your input. Let me know what you think via email  
or review.  
  
Thanks for reading.  
~December 


	14. The Other Side of the Truth

Chapter 13: The Other Side of the Truth  
(Week Three, Day 6)  
  
It was another day, and a trio walked through the park.  
What was eye-catching aobut this trio was not their  
appearance (although seeing two gaijin, one darker  
than the other, walking with an obvious native was an  
odd sight), but the three different emotions that were   
almost tangible coming from the group. One of the gaijin  
obviously felt confusion. It was almost like he was trying  
to figure out some puzzle. The female gaijin appeared  
pensive and afraid. She didn't turn around to look  
at her companions, but walked quickly, occasionally   
muttering to herself, briefly closing her eyes, shivering,  
and then walking slightly faster.  
  
The native was clearly frustrated, so observers were not   
surprised when he suddenly burst out with, "May! Why in the  
hell are were walking all over this park?! Tell us what  
happened yesterday, already!"  
  
The woman in the front sighed and stopped walking. She   
turned around to face her companions. "We are walking all  
over this park because I don't know what to tell you about   
what happened yesterday."  
  
"What do you mean YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL US?! Look lady-"  
  
"Yusuke," the third member of the group finally spoke up, "Give  
her some space for a second. Something obviously went wrong  
yesterday." Terry turned to May. "Tell us what you can, but tell  
us something. The not knowing is making both of us frustrated."  
  
May looked at the two young men, who, in their own way, had come  
to mean a lot ot her. She hated that she had failed them. She  
took a deep breath and delivered the body blow with no sugar  
coating. "Your brother refuses to meet you."  
  
"What?!" shouted Yusuke. Terry didn't shout, but he looked wounded...  
and angry. 'It's almost like Powers or someone just immoral took  
someone else away from me,' Terry thought to himself as his fist   
tightened. He hated feeling powerless, like he did now.  
  
May continued, "He said he wanted time to think about everything...  
alone. Technically, in terms of meeting you two, as his brothers,  
his answer was 'not now' instead of a clear 'no'...but let's be  
honest. The third week is almost over. We have eight days for him  
to change his mind, that's it. And, to be honest, I think that 'not  
now' was meant as a 'no'. The Japanese are so damn polite with foreigners. He wouldn't have told be to 'fuck off' if that was what   
he was feeling."  
  
After a pause, Terry asked, "What does that mean for us?"  
  
May sighed. "I really don't know. I think all we can do is spend time  
together. The two of you still have each other. And maybe we can  
piece together parts of your past, but-" She shrugged. "I am sorry  
that I wasted your time."  
  
"So we are just going to give up?!" Yusuke shouted. "He's my brother!  
We can't just let that empress bitch win! We can't just quit!"  
  
"What you you have me do, Yusuke?" May shouted back. "Trick him into  
meeting you two? Kidnap him? Kill his girlfriend? What?!" May  
threw her hands up in the air in defeat. "Lies. Lies, strong-arm  
tactics, misuse of power...they caused this whole mess. And they  
won't fix it; I found out the hard way they make things worse.   
So what options do I have left? What would you have me do?"  
  
"I'd have you do something!" Yusuke retorted.  
  
"Why the hell would you care?!" May screamed, practically in Yusuke's  
face. Her patience had obviously been pushed over the edge. "You think  
I am incompetent. You don't get along with Terry at all. Let's be  
honest. The only reaons you haven't demanded that I take you  
back to your dimension is that you are afraid of missing a good fight-"  
  
Yusuke had opened his mouth to reply, but Terry, looking off into   
the distance, broke in with "He may get that fight after all."  
  
"What?" May asked as she whirled around to see a woman coming towards  
them. Her long dark green hair blowing in the breeze, the woman wore a business suit and heels. To the passerby, she didn't look dangerous at all, but May sensed that this woman was some kind of threat. Without analyzing why, May positioned herself in such a way that she stood in front of Terry and Yusuke, almost like a human shield, so that she could protect them.  
  
Behind her, Yusuke and Terry both shifted into battle stances...but  
that was because they recognized the woman. She wasn't in the  
sailor uniform that she wore when she attacked them two days ago, but   
the posture, the hair, and the walk were the same. They knew that  
this was the woman who attacked them.  
  
The woman stopped three feet in front of the trio and gave May the   
once over. Then she said, "Adaunde. Why am I not surprised that   
you would somehow be involved in this? You never knew when to   
let go."  
  
Recognizing that the woman had refered to her by what must be her  
past life's name, May's eyes narrowed. Only one person would  
know that name and feel like a threat. "Pluto. I figured that  
I'd run into the empress' time walker sooner or later."  
  
Setsuna eyes narrowed briefly at the woman's use of her sailor title,  
but any other reaction she had to that revelation she kept to herself.  
"So, Adaunde, how does it feel to lose?"  
  
"So, you appeared ot gloat?" May asked to cover the pain that the  
well-placed barb caused. She looked at the diguised time walker  
for few seconds. Then she asked, "But have I really lost?"  
  
"Endymion won't leave the moon princess. You must know that by now."  
Setsuna stated.  
  
"You mean Mamoru won't leave the reincarnation of the moon princess.  
There is a difference, you know," May corrected. "But," she  
added, "you assumed that breaking up that couple was my sole purpose.  
It wasn't." May laughed, although it held no mirth. "I think you'll  
find that your fiction doesn't hold up as well anymore. You'll  
have to explain a great many things to Mamoru soon enough."  
  
Setsuna laughed off the warning. "Is that rationalization all you   
have to take comfort in?"  
  
"No," May replied. "Lady Pluto, time walker in the service of Queen  
Serenity, former empress and tryant of the Silver Alliance, I bring  
you a message from the Creator, the supreme ruler who granted you the  
gift you have abused. Since you were tweleve you have been watched.   
No slight, no lie, no timeline trick that you have performed has gone   
unnoticed. The Creator expresses His displeasure with your actions and  
hands down this sentence. The truth will come out and as part of this,  
you will find your powers constrained. Be ye warned, Lady of Pluto.  
Stand futher in the way of the Creator's plan and the punishment will be  
more severe."  
  
Setsuna's eyes narrowed. "Your attempt at frightening me is laughable.  
I have still won."  
  
"No, you've failed as well." Terry countered from behind May.  
  
That statement seemed to surprise Setsuna. "How do you deem that I   
failed, Tremaine? Your brother still sides with me."  
  
Yusuke growled deep in his throat, showing his anger. Terry, however,  
calmly countered, "You failed becasue we are still here. You tried  
to kill Yusuke and me both. You missed. You failed."  
  
Anger flashed briefly over Setsuna's face. Then she said, "I have   
a message for you royals of earth. Go back from whence you have   
come. Your reign is over and you will never gain it back." With  
that Setsuna turned around and walked away.  
  
"We're just going to let her win?!" Yusuke shouted. "We should go  
after her! Or something-"  
  
"No," May shook her head. "Pluto may think this is her First Battle  
of Bull Run. What she doesn't know is that this is Gettysburg and  
she'll commit her own Pickett's charge pretty soon."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
May smiled softly. In all of this she thought she had lost herself.  
That last statement proved that she obviously hadn't. "I'm sorry.  
I'm a Southerner. I tend to think about the American Civil War a little  
too much. Most of us do." She took a deep breath. "Come on guys.   
Let's go."  
  
"Where are we going?" Terry asked, as (surprisingly) both he and Yusuke  
fell into step behind her without a fight.  
  
"Back to the mansion. Yusuke obviously needs to blow off some steam.   
And I- I need to think."  
  
*****  
  
Pluto returned to the Gate of Time, inwardly seething. "How dare the  
former Queen of Earth think she can threaten me with her Creator? I have  
done nothing but my duty! The princess deserves this world! Why must  
these Earth royals constantly make claims of tryanny?!" Pluto sighed.  
  
It wasn't that she didn't question her actions at points, but she knew  
Queen Serenity. Many kingdoms accused Serenity fo ruling with an iron hand, but that wasn't true! Serenity saved her life when her village   
was destroyed. Serenity even killed the exiled criminal that was   
responsible for the destruction of her home. At that moment, Pluto had  
pledged undying loyalty to her queen, who in turn, practically raised  
her. And Serenity did things for other planets. She shieled Mercury  
from the sun so that people could live above ground on its surface.  
She regulated Venus's atmosphere. She caused water to appear on Mars.  
She reigned in the wild storms of Jupiter...and her generosity continued.  
Pluto had never understood the anger at and fear of Serenity that she  
heard in whispers from other planets in the allaince, and usually blatantly from the Earth, at least in the beginning.  
  
And here in the present appears the reborn Queen Adaunde, daring to criticise what Pluto had done out of loyalty. "But I can fix this."  
Determined to stop this problem, Pluto prepared to go back into the  
past and stop the Earthen invasion...  
  
..only to discover that she couldn't. Her powers could not affect in  
any way the past three weeks. She could not even go back into the   
past and save the reborn Adaunde from the burning building, stopping the  
whole process before it started. She also seemed unable to go into  
the future.  
  
"You will find your powers constrained," Pluto heard ringing in her   
head. She growled. "Well, there is one way to end this," she said  
as she prepared to leave the Gate. It was time to have another senshi  
meeting. All she had to do was make sure that Mamoru never interacted  
with his mother. After those three finally realized that they had failed, they would leave.  
  
More and more lately, her job called her to dow more than merely guard  
the gate of time.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
I know, I know, I haven't written in months. And I'm sure all of   
you have forgotten about this story...which could be a good thing.  
  
This chapter has been re-written. At least, a scene has been deleted.  
It just seemed too...pat, too easy. And easy isn't something that  
should describe this story.  
  
  
As for Pluto...I do have a prequel planned that will explain some  
of her skewed view of the Silver Millennium...but that may not get  
started until the new year. Happy reading everyone.  
~December 


	15. What Does It Mean to be a Mother?

Chapter 14: What does it mean to be a mother?  
  
(Week Three, early Day 7)  
With a gasp, May sat up in bed. She was breathing hard and her eyes were  
wide. "No. It can't be. I couldn't have been," she whispered in  
disbelief, still stunned by the dream...no, memory, that had played  
out behind her closed eyelids.  
  
What jogged the memory, she still wasn't sure. In all honesty, the  
day before had been rather rough. Besides the fact that she was still  
beating herself up over how she handled the whole Mamoru situation, she  
had lost her temper and gotten into a shouting match with Yusuke AND  
confronted the empress's time walk, all before noon.  
  
The walk back after that talk with Pluto, the empress's time walker,   
was tense. It was pretty obvious that Yusuke was angry about the situation.   
He growled the whole way "home", occassionally throwing May an angry glance.   
After they returned to the mansion where they had been living for the past   
six days, Yusuke went directly to the gym and began to beat up on the   
punching bag hanging in one of the corners. What Terry was feeling was a   
little harder for May to judge; it was a weird mix of mourning, brooding,   
and anger. He was completely silent on the way back to the mansion and he   
had a rather remote look in his eyes. Upon returning, after sitting and   
staring into space for a while, he joined Yusuke in the gym as well. And,   
although a lot of noise came from the gym that night, none of the noise   
held raised voices from an argument between Yusuke and Terry.  
  
While Yusuke and Terry were taking their anger out on gym equipmenmt,  
May slept. If she were more honest with herself, what she actually  
did was hide. She really was not asleep for most of the time she was  
horizontal, but as long as she appeared asleep, Terry wouldn't let  
Yusuke harass her. At some point, however, all the stress, guilt,  
anger, and helplessness caught up with her, and the resulting exhausion  
put her to sleep. And that is when the memory started.  
  
At first, May did not think she was dreaming. She sat at a table covered  
with paper filled with writing and thought, for a brief moment, that she   
was back to working on her thesis and that her death and the last three   
weeks was the dream. Then she noticed that the papers were not coding   
sheets, but held names that she did not recognize. She looked down at   
what she was wearing and saw the skirt of a green court dress instead of   
jeans. At that point she realized it was a dream of her past life, or a   
"memory-dream" as she had begun to refer to them in her head. And, so far,   
it had been the clearest dream she had had.  
  
A door opened and in walked a man who was the epitome of the phrase tall,  
dark, and handsome. He was causually dressed, but somehow May knew that  
he was important. It was something about the way he carried himself that  
screamed leader. Interestingly enough, he also looked a lot like Mamoru  
and Terry, although he was clearly older. He looked about 47 or 48, but  
for some reason May thought that he may be older than that. The appearance   
of silver hair at his temples just served to make the man   
appear more distinguished...and more attractive.  
  
"Good morning, Adaunde," the man said as he walked over to where she   
was sitting.  
  
"Good morning, love," May heard herself reply as the extremely attractive  
man bent to kiss her on the check. As the man walked to the other side  
of the table and sat down, May marveled at his attractiveness.  
  
But the person she was in this memory-dream obviously had something else  
on her mind. "By the horizon! Terry, how did your mother accomplish   
this task, after every party no less, for years and years with only the   
assistance of your father? Already I am feeling dizzy and overwhelmed   
and we have yet to begin!"   
  
To say May was a little thrown by her dream self's statement would be an  
understatement. First, she was extremely confused that she called the man   
Terry. 'That is definitely NOT McGinnis, even if they do look alike,' May   
thought to herself. She also had some problems following the conversation   
because her speech, Adaunde's speech, was so formal. There were no   
contractions, no recognizable slang...no short-cuts in communication. It   
took a little longer to sort through the statement. In fact, because of   
her various confusions she almost missed the reply from across the table.  
  
"She had practice," the man called Terry replied. He glanced down at  
all the paper on the table. "Also, she was more organized and she   
invited fewer people as well."  
  
May felt herself huff. "Terrius, we are celebrating 15 years of peace,   
are we not? A peace that we would not have accomplished or maintained   
without our military officiers or our trading collitions. It seemed   
only correct and respectful that we invited some of them to our celebration."  
  
"My wife, the reformer."  
  
May heard herself laugh. "You are aware of how I feel about barriers   
between people caused by titles, position, or class, are you not?"  
  
The man, now identified as her husband, smiled...almost as if he was   
remembering something. "Yes, Adaunde, I am."  
  
"But, returning to this massive task," May's dream self, Adaunde,   
continued, "Did you manage to entice our two youngest to assist us?"  
  
"Well..." Terry trailed off.  
  
"If they do not come, I shall find them and force them to make an   
appearance! If they will not assist me because I am their mother,   
they will assist me because I am-" but whatever Adaunde was about   
to say was cut off as the door opened again. This time two young   
men walked in the room; young men that May immediately recognized   
as Terry McGinnis and Yusuke Urameshi. Yet these young men seemed   
taller and...well, happier. Terry still moved with his Batman-like   
grace, which surprised May somewhat. And it was amazing how Yusuke's   
face changed when he smiled.  
  
"Tremaine, Arlington. How kind of you to put in an appearance,"   
Adaunde said.  
  
"Momma, you DID order us to appear, remember?" Arlington said as   
he crossed the room to sit down. "It wasn't really a choice."  
  
"I did not 'order'! I just strongly recommended that you come."   
Adaunde countered.  
  
"Same thing," Arlington mutterred under his breath as he sat down.  
  
"Good morning father, mother," Tremaine said as he bowed to Terrius and  
kissed Adaunde on the cheek. After sitting, Tremaine quipped, "I   
am home for the first time in several moon cycles, and Mother   
immediately puts me to work!"  
  
"What are mothers for?" Adaunde laughed. "Besides, His Grace,   
the Duke of Amerwest, should not be the only person who is allowed   
to 'strongly suggest' your assistance," she continued.  
  
Terrius smiled sympathically at Tremaine. "I am surprised that   
you were not expecting this. Accessing her children for labor is   
the one arena where her majesty will pull rank." The three males   
in the room laughed as Adaunde responded with a seemly childish,   
"I DO NOT!"  
  
After the laughter died down, Adaunde continued. "Pulling rank   
or not, we do have a lot of work to accomplish and we do appreaciate   
your help." She sighed. "The best way to do this is probably to   
divide tasks. Tremaine, I shall need you to-" but the task assignment   
was never given as the door opened for the third time.  
  
Another young man walked into the room...a young man that May   
eventually recognized as Mamoru. This recognition was not as   
instantenous as her recognition of Terry and Yusuke. In some   
ways this young was almost the opposite of the Mamoru she met.   
He seemed more carefree in some ways and he moved with an in-born   
sense that he was important. Yet, while he seemed happier overall,   
there was also a sense of insecurity around him, as if he knew   
a big responsibility lay in front of him and he was unsure if   
he was up to the task. And he also seemed a little...nervous   
about something.  
  
May wasn't alone in her surprise at Mamoru's appearance, but   
everyone in the dream, including her dream self, seemed surprised   
for a different reason. For a moment the room was completely   
silent. Then Adaunde finally asked, "Endy?"  
  
The young man bowed "Good morning Mummy, Da."  
  
"So, you have come to help us?" Terrius asked quietly.  
  
Endy took a deep breath. "Yes," he replied. The young man looked   
at the others in the room that he had not noticed before. "Tremmy   
and Ling usually help? And you manage to get things done?" he asked   
as he ruffled Tremaine's hair.  
  
"Hey!" Arlington objected.  
  
"Oh, ha, ha." Tremaine replied as he tried to evade his older   
brother's hand without getting out of his chair.  
  
With that Endymion sat down next to Adaunde, who quickly turned to   
him and asked, "So who is she?"  
  
"Who is she?" Endy echoed, confused.  
  
"Yes, who is she. The girl that you have deemed worthy of a fourth   
gift. That is why you are present, correct?"  
  
"Well, yes," Endy answered as he began to look embarassed, "but I did not  
think that you would ask about it this bluntly."  
  
"Endy, sweetie, I am your mother. And I am known for many things, but  
tact was never one of them." May felt herself smile. "So who is  
she? Is is one of the merchants daughters who was present last night?  
Or was she one of the military daughters? Mila, the daughter of General   
Kyta is such a nice young lady-"  
  
"Actually, Mummy, she is lady."  
  
"Well, do not hold us in suspence, heir apparent. Reveal who is she   
already!" Arlington said.  
  
Endy took a deep breath and then he said a name, really just three words.  
"Lady Daniella Waynemeyer."  
  
"Nella?" Tremaine asked, shocked.  
  
"Anthony and Talia's daughter, Daniella? She is a very refined lady. And   
she is rather responsible. She may actually be good for you, Endy."  
Aduande said.  
  
"Our son is interested in a lady born of one of the most powerful houses   
on our planet. It seems that your eldest will not be quite the class   
reformer that you are, Adaunde," Terrius smiled.  
  
May felt herself shrug. "Endy was always more like you anyway," she   
replied. "Anyway, I actually like Lady Daniella and her family. I must   
if I am willing to allow Tremmy to study under Anthony. Regardless,   
Taila has been a good friend and their other daughter, Beryl, is such   
a well-behaved little girl."  
  
"But...Nella?" Tremaine asked again. "Why Nella?"  
  
"Because Dani...well she props me up in places where I fall. I know that  
does not make sense, but..."  
  
"Yes, it does," Terrius said quietly. "I picked your mother because   
she seemed to see beyond my title and we were looking in the same   
direction, which is what I needed, what I still need. Your mother   
is my eyes. Daniella seems to be your foundation. It may be hard   
to put into words, but the heart understands."  
  
At that point Endy opened his mouth to say something else, but the dream,  
slowly faded away...until all May saw was black. Then she shot up in bed   
and uttered her shocked whisper.  
  
Now she sat in her bed as various ideas ran around in her head.   
Throughout the dream she was called Adaunde, her majesty, mother,   
mummy. She was bowed to. She talked about titles and rank and...  
the only conclusion that made any sense was that she was married   
to this Terrius, that she was some kind of royalty, that she...was   
the mother of Mamoru, Terry, and Yusuke in their past lives. That   
she was the former queen of earth.  
  
As that revelation pierced through her head, May found herself again   
worrying about Terry and Yusuke. But this worrying was different from   
the previous worrying she had done. She wondered if they were okay,   
how they were taking things, if they had had the same dream and how   
they would react to it. Having an overwhelming need to check on them   
both, May shot out of bed, grabbed her robe and ran to her bedroom door.   
She wretched it open and quickly stepped into the hall, where she froze.  
  
Further down the wing, Terry and Yusuke were also in the hall outside   
of their rooms. They had obviously been sleeping previously, but they   
seemed wide awake at the moment. May stared and them and they stared   
back. The hall was silent for a few minutes.  
  
Terry broke the silence with a simple question. "Mother?"  
  
"You had that dream too?" Yusuke asked quietly.  
  
"Oh God," May said in quiet prayer as she grabbed the cross that she   
had not removed since she first put it on before coming to this dimension.   
For the last six days the cross had been her lifeline as a translation   
device, but now she clung to it because of what the symbol meant to her   
in her last lifetime. She took a deep breath and looked at the confused   
and wary young men in front of her. "We need to talk."  
  
*****  
About ten minutes later, Yusuke, Terry and May were sitting around   
a table in the kitchen. They each had a cup and saucer in front of   
them. Tea bags and instant coffees were arranged in front of them   
and a kettle was on the stove. There was also a pound cake and   
plates on the table, but no one appeared to be hungry. They were   
all still in shock.  
  
Yusuke broke the silence. "What was that dream we had?"  
  
"I don't think it was a dream so much as it was a memory. A memory   
of our past lives." May  
answered.  
  
"So that older man in dream, he was-"  
  
"Your father, yes." May said.  
  
"Who is he now? I mean, you are our mother, so our father is somewhere   
in your life, right?" Terry asked.  
  
May shook her head. "No. At least not to my knowledge. I - let's just   
say I was single before I took this mission. I always was single, and I   
always will be."  
  
"That's a little cryptic." Yusuke observed. May didn't answer.  
  
"But our father was probably reborn too, right?" Terry asked.  
  
May nodded. "At least, I think he was," she amended.  
  
"And, since Maxine is in my dimension, Daniella is in this dimenion   
with our brother, and I assume Lady Keiko is in Yusuke's dimension-" Terry   
looked over at Yusuke for confirmation. Yusuke nodded. "Then," Terry   
continued "I would assume that our father was somewhere in your dimension."  
  
May thougt about Terry's logical proof. If it was taken as a given that the  
former king of earth was reborn and that there was some pattern to their distribution...   
May mused the rest of her thoughts aloud, "It makes sense. But I never   
met him." After a moment of silence, she reflected, "You know, we all haven't changed   
too drastically. Terrius was very much a royal; more than likely he   
was reborn as one."  
  
"Are you attracted to any members of royality in your dimension?"  
  
May laughed quietly as she got a far off look in her eyes. "There was one.   
Heir to the heir of the British throne. Tall, blond...not really my type   
but something just pulled me to him. Well, in the sense that I was attracted   
to him. I never met him. I didn't move in those circles." May blinked   
several times and then looked down at the table.  
  
After more silence, Terry said, "Daniella, I mean Reika, recognized you,   
didn't she? She knew who you where."  
  
"She must have recognized me at some point. Maybe by something I said." May shrugged.  
  
Silence fell again. The three people around the table looked down at their empty  
tea cups again. There was so much to say, but it was really hard to say anything.  
With this one piece of new information about their past, their present was turned   
on its head.  
  
May raised her head to say something, when the tea kettle started to whisle. Rising  
to get the hot water, May took a few calming breaths. 'At some point, one of us has   
got to ask about what we do with what we know now,' she thought to herself as she poured  
the hot water. After sitting again, May looked around the table at the boys who were  
once her sons. It was near impossible to tell what they were thinking...but the fact  
that Yusuke was so quiet worried her.  
  
"Yusuke, are you okay?" May asked quietly.  
  
"What do you think, lady?! I mean, Mom. I mean...what the hell am I supposed to call  
you?!" Yusuke burst out.  
  
May looked at the boy who was once her youngest child. Although he was exploding over  
what to call her, it was obvious that his concern was deeper. What he really wanted to  
know now was how to treat her. In many ways, up to this point she had been like a peer,  
or a "crazy lady" who was the one who had the map, so you followed because you had to.  
Suddenly, with one memory, she had become someone who should be afforded a lot of   
respect. How does one reconcile that? May couldn't help to have pity on the boy. "You  
could call me May," she offered. May looked at Terry and Yusuke both. "In a past life  
I was your mother. I am not your mother now. That was another life. We are different  
people. Sure, we are still tied together. And yes, we should take this chance to  
spend time together...but you don't have to show me any additional deferrence. Besides,"  
May laughed, "if the two of you started to be overly respectful, I'd probably have a   
heart attack from the shock!"  
  
Terry smiled and chuckled slightly. Yusuke grumbled a little under his breath, but he  
seemed a little more at ease.  
  
"So, what do we do now?" Terry asked.  
  
"Well, to be honest, I don't know," May replied. "We still have a week. Honestly, there  
really is no point in me sending you back early. We could get to know each other in  
this incarnation. We could try to piece together the past. We could..." May trailed  
off as she thought.  
  
"Why don't we go check out your world?" Yusuke said, sounding a little disgruntled.  
  
"Huh?" May asked.  
  
"I mean, you got to see our lives, right? You moved around in our dimensions. So,  
we should get to move around in yours."  
  
"Yusuke has a point," Terry said. "In watching our lives you really got to know   
us. We should get a similar chance to get to know you. You could almost give us a   
guided tour of your world. What it's like, what you do-"  
  
"Yeah. It only seems fair," Yusuke pushed the point.  
  
"No." May said.  
  
Both boys blinked and fell silent at her definite refusal.  
  
"Do you not want us in your life? Are you trying to distance yourself from us?" Terry  
asked after a few minutes of silence.  
  
"No, of course not! Terry, you and Yusuke both, mean a lot to me...to the point   
where it sometimes surprises me. But my answer is still no. I can't."  
  
"Can't or won't?" Yusuke demanded.  
  
"Can't, damnit! I can't do what you ask because I'm-"  
  
At that moment the doorbell rang, cutting off what May was about to say. The unexpected  
noise startled them into silence. Then the doorbell rang again.  
  
May sighed as she rose. "I guess I better get that," she said as she began to walk to  
the front of the house. She didn't get too far before she realized that Yusuke and Terry  
were flanking her. "Okay, why are y'all coming with me?"  
  
"It's 4am, lady. Normal people do not show up at other people's houses at 4am. We   
have to protect you." Yusuke replied.   
  
May was about to protest, but then she decided to let it go. In their own way, they  
were trying to act like appreciative sons; she needed to let them do this.  
  
Finally, they reached the door. May unlocked the door and looked out into the early morning  
to see who their visitor was. "Reika? What are you doing here at this hour?"  
  
The young woman looked up at May with wounded and haunted eyes. "I don't have anywhere else  
to go. Every time I turn around their is some memory of my broken engagement or of the   
wedding that never happened in my past life or...I just can't take it anymore. I just  
needed to talk to someone who would understand."  
  
"Please, come in," May said as she motioned Reika into the house. "We were just about to have   
some tea." May continued as Terry took Reika's coat and purse.  
  
"Tea? This early in the morning?"  
  
"Rough night," was Yusuke's explanation.  
  
As Reika stood there, she noticed the slight difference in which Terry and Yusuke were  
treating May. At moments there seemed to be confusion or hestitation. And they did  
seem to be a little more respectful. Reika could only think of one reason why there  
would be a change in everyone's behavior. "So, you remember who May was now, I take  
it?" she asked.  
  
"Yes," Terry said as he returned from putting away Reika's belongings.  
  
"It was a little bit of a shock for all of us," May shared as the four began to walk  
back to the kitchen. "We still really aren't sure how to handle our new found information."  
  
As they re-entered the kitchen, Reika sat at the fourth seat as May pulled out a fourth  
cup and saucer.  
  
"Reika, maybe you can help us," Terry began. "We've asked May to let us get to know  
her a little better, take us to her home, etc. She's refused. Maybe you can-" what  
Terry was going to was lost as May slammed the cup down with a crash onto the counter.  
  
Everyone in the room turned to look at her, but May kept her back to the table for  
awhile. Finally, she said, "I never did tell you how I ended up with the task  
of bringing together the royal family, did I?" She turned around and sat the cup  
and saucer in front of Reika. Then she walked around to her chair and sank into it.  
  
After a few more minutes of silence, she began to speak again. "I was a graduate student  
in arts and sciences at a prestious public university. It was an April day, and I was  
sick of my masters' thesis, this huge project that seemed to be sucking the life out of  
me." She laughed briefly, but there was no joy in the sound. "That day, I decided  
that I needed a walk, so I left campus and went wandering through the nearby neighborhood.  
That was when I stumbled on the house fire.  
  
"The scene was pure chaos. At first, I was just watching in a sick fasination, you know,   
the same fasination that has us stopping to look at car wrecks. Then, I heard it. A  
mother begging someone to save her baby, her child still trapped in the burning building.  
  
"I wish I could say that would have been enough for me to act, but to be honest, it   
wouldn't have been. People die in fires everyday. It is sad, but it not enough to get  
me to do something crazy. But, you see, I recognized the name of the child still  
trapped. I tutored her on occassion. She was such a sweet little girl, full of life  
and energy...and I couldn't imagine a world without her. At least I didn't want to.  
  
"So I ran into the burning building." By this point May's eyes were closed and she  
had begun to shake, but she continued, "The smoke was so thick that I could really  
see, much less breathe. The only thing I could do was listen for cries and try  
to follow them, hoping that I found Melissa. I still don't really know how I found  
her, just suddenly there she was. I picked her up and began to fight my way back  
to the door, to get her out.  
  
"The heat was intense. I fell several points on the way back. It was a struggle to  
get up each time. I was sweating, so much so that I really couldn't see, even if there  
was no smoke. But somehow I made it to the door. I...I think I handed Melissa to someone,  
I really don't remember how she got over the threshold...but then, as I was about to  
step out, I heard a cracking noise. I looked up, and then...  
  
"And then I woke up. Well, okay, woke up is the wrong word. I was in a white room,  
but not a hospital...and I was talking to an angel who told me I was dead. Then,  
she gave me the chance to do this, to bring a family together." May laughed mirthlessly  
again. "So, you see, I can't go back. I've been dead for three weeks." With that,  
May finally looked up to look at the people sitting around the table.  
  
Reika looked confused and even a little frightened. 'That's right, Reika doesn't   
even know about my mission or my powers. It has got to be unnerving to hear  
someone talking about their mission and dying when you thought they were just a   
tourist who happened to be queen in their past life.'  
  
Terry and Yusuke however, looked shell-shocked and wounded. They had both seen  
enough craziness in their lives not to be scared, but what they were going through  
had to be even more painful. She had presented them with a parent from this  
last life, and then taken that parent away. 'Talk about a sudden death,' May  
thought.  
  
Finally, they began to speak. Terry started in denial, "No. I don't believe you.  
You aren't dead. You can't be."  
  
Yusuke, not surprisingly considering how he uses anger and scarcasm to cope, jumped  
right to the anger stage. "Why the hell didn't you tell us this before?!"  
  
"Because I didn't think it was important."  
  
"NOT IMPORTANT?! You were our MOTHER, damnit!"  
  
"Which I didn't know when I started this!" May burst out. "Do you really think this   
is easy for me?! I'm dead. And I'm reminded that I'm dead in subtle ways everyday.  
I died before I could marry. Hell, I hadn't even really dated. I died before I  
could do so much. And then I meet you two...and then I realize that I'm your mother.  
Then you ask me if you could spend time with me in my home and - and-" May put her  
head in her hands and began to cry.  
  
Yusuke was about to open his mouth to shout something else, but Reika shook her  
head. She reached out to touch May's hand. May looked up, surprised. "I won't  
pretend that I understand all of this," Reika said, "but it is clear that you need  
a friend or three right now. A long time ago, you were there for me at my lowest."  
She smiled. "I guess it is my turn."  
  
"Thank you." May managed to get out.  
  
Again the group fell into silence. And they sat there for a while in silence. Then  
the conversations slowly began again. Conversations about the past, about the dream,  
about the present, although they could not bring themselves to discuss the future. And,  
long after their untouched water had gone cold, long after the sun had risen, the four  
still sat around the table, talking, pausing...and by about midday they seemed to be   
able to laugh again, at least briefly.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Whew! That was a very hard chapter to write. Trying to figure out what the   
real reactions everyone would have to the news was difficult. It took me  
over two weeks to write the second half of this chapter alone.  
  
As for the dream, I know it doesn't make a lot of sense here...but it would  
make more sense if you have read some of "Royal Blue" which is the prequel   
to this story. I promise that I'll get back to "Royal Blue" soon...well as  
soon as my writer's block goes away.  
  
Final note, if you have read chapter 13, you may want to go back and re-read it.  
After talking to my editor, I've decided to cut a scene from that chapter, because  
it was a little too pat and too unbelieveable. Writing believeable chapters is  
getting harder and harder. Well, at least the story is almost over. There are  
only four chapters after this one, and one is completely finished (two of the  
remaining three have been started).  
  
Happy reading and please read and review. The next chapter will be even harder  
to write and I need all of the suggestions I can get. 


	16. When the Past and the Present are like O...

Chapter 15: When the past and present are oil and water  
(Week four: Day 1)  
  
Three days. It had been three days since his world had completely  
exploded. Mamoru sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. At  
this point he wasn't even sure what to do now. It was like looking  
at a massive six car pile-up and wondering what to move first...and   
knowing you would never be sure about what caused the accident in the  
first place.  
  
Well, if he had to explain what caused the wreck that was three  
days ago, he'd have to say it started with Reika's visit. No, if  
he were honest with himself, it started with May's visit. He had  
had questions before, but the way in which she presented everything  
started the pull between his past life and his present one.  
  
Then Reika showed up and added to the mix. How does one deal with  
a past love, who is a present friend, engaged to your current best  
friend? And, just to make things more complicated, throw in the   
fact that you have a girlfriend/finacee of your own, who, up until a   
few days ago, you thought was your soulmate. "And they would have  
to end up in the same room, wouldn't they?" Mamoru groused.  
  
It was a scene out of every guy's worse nightmare. You have a  
crying woman in your arms. Maybe she's an ex-girlfriend, maybe  
she's a good friend, but regardless, you are trying to comfort  
her. You aren't betraying your current girlfriend, but you  
know the picture doesn't look good. And in walks your current  
girlfriend.  
  
Of course, in this case, the scene was that much worse, as Reika  
jumped into the brewing argument and went after Usagi. And,  
when Mamoru tried to take the middle of the road, Reika accused  
him of abandoning his family as she walked out. But it only got  
worse as she walked out the door.  
  
With Reika gone, Usagi came at him full force. What was this past  
relationship with Reika? Why had he never mentioned it before?  
Why was he betraying his best friend like that? Why was he betraying  
her like that? What was wrong with her that he always seemed to  
push her away? Was it over for them?  
  
He couldn't get a word in edgewise, and Usagi took his pauses and  
flumblings as a brush-off. She ran off in tears, leaving him standing  
in the middle of his appartment wondering what the hell to do next.  
  
The next day, he went to the park and wander around, trying to piece  
together his life, past, present and future. It seemed to be lifetimes  
since that last time he was really happy, fully happy. Sure, he was  
happy with his Usako, how could he not be? He loved her, and in this  
life she was the only family he had...had seemingly the key word now.  
At the same time, the not knowing his parents from this life, the not  
having the parents from this life, losing Fiore, the various battles  
where he fought as Tuxedo Mask, the times he was captured or brainwashed  
or.... Mamoru sighed. In his dreams, in his memories, he vaguely   
remembered a time when he had little brothers, loving parents, and   
laughter, real laughter. Of course, now that past happiness seemed   
bent on destroying the little present happiness he had.  
  
While wandering the park, Mamoru was assaulted with memories, good and bad.  
Memories of walks with Usako, memories of battles. Memories that made   
this life seem more real than the last. 'Maybe I should just chose one,  
past or present,' Mamoru thought to himself. And at that moment, the  
present was winning.  
  
Yet, when he returned to his appartment, one of the first things he  
saw was that picture of Tremaine and Arlington and Endymion that May  
gave him at the beginning of their talk. As he picked up the picture,  
he found himself caught in a memory. He could hear almost clearly his  
brothers from so long ago.  
  
"We have got to find a more annoying nickname for him! Endy is not half  
as bad as what he calls us!"  
  
"Good luck you two."  
  
"Why don't we call him, Heir Bear?"  
  
"Ha! That makes no sense Ling."  
  
"Or Crown-Brown?"  
  
"Nice try, Tremmy."  
  
"Or Cape Boy?"  
  
"What did you call me, Ling?!"  
  
"Ling, that's it! You are a genius. We'll call him Cape Boy."  
  
And just as the memory faded, he heard a softer feminine voice  
laugh, "Now I am concerned about the coming end. My two youngest  
never agree! Now what are the three of you plotting?"  
  
"Mother," Mamoru had whispered as he shook off the memory. At that  
moment, he was almost ready to chuck the present for the past...but  
Usako always seemed to bring him back to present. At the same time,  
just when he would be ready to give up the past, he'd "hear" his   
brother's teasing or remember how his father trained him or remember his  
promise to his mother to never forget them. He seemed to be stuck  
between both his present and past...and those two couldn't seem to   
coexist together without destroying his future.  
  
What he really wanted were answers. Both sides seemed totally convinced  
that the other side was wrong, but, as the one caught in the middle  
he couldn't believe that. Whatever the past was like, the present  
senshi weren't evil. Whatever the purpose of May, his past family wasn't  
evil. In fact, it sounded as if they were wronged. But how do you make   
two sides listen to each other when they are bent on one-upping each other.  
  
What made the situation even more difficult is that he had no one  
to talk to. Since that conversation with Reika, he had avoided  
Motoki like the plague. What could he say to his best friend? That   
part of the reason Reika dumped Motoki was that he and Reika had  
a relationship a past life and Reika's trying to come to terms with   
that? Ignoring the fact that such an explanation would make him sound crazy, how did that not sound like he was trying to take away his  
best friend's finacee, while apparently cheating on someone that his  
best friend saw as a sister? All the tension made Mamoru ill, physically  
ill. Often over the last three days he stood on his balcony and stared  
out on the city, feeling less and less in control of his life every  
minute.  
  
"What I am supposed to do now?" he asked as he stood outside. He sighed as he looked at the horizon, something which he didn't do much as he  
tended to look at the moon or the sky in the past. As he tried to lose  
himself in the view, he heard the phone ring.  
  
Walking back into his appartment to answer it, he wondered who was on  
the other end, and if he should let his answering machine catch it.   
'Well, it is too late for that now,' he thought as he picked up the  
phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Mamoru? It's Setsuna."  
  
"Setsuna? This is a surprise. Why are you-" Mamoru stopped abruptly   
as he realized that this call could mean that something was really  
wrong. "Did something happen to Usako? Is she okay? Is-"  
  
Setsuna cut him off, "She's fine."  
  
"Oh. Then, why are you calling?"  
  
"I'm calling because the situation we discussed at the last senshi  
meeting has gotten worse. I want you to be at the senshi meeting  
that we are having later this evening at Rei's temple."  
  
"Have you talked to Usako about this?" Mamoru asked warily. "Does she  
know I'll be there?"  
  
There was a pause at the other end of the line. "Well, no I haven't.  
Is there a reason why I should?" Setsuna finally asked.  
  
"You'll have to talk to Usako about that."  
  
"Will you come to the meeting?" Setsuna asked. "The future of Crystal  
Toyko is at stake here. Besides, I believe that you are in danger."  
  
Mamoru thought for a moment. In all honesty, he probably shouldn't  
go to the meeting. Usagi was angry at him, and by now she had told  
all the others, except Pluto, about their fight and the whole Reika  
situation. The other senshi would be out for blood, his. But there  
was one thing that could make him go and face the music at this point,  
"Will you be there?" Mamoru as his caller.  
  
"Yes, of course," Setsuna replied.  
  
"Then, I'll be there," Mamoru said. And, as Setsuna rattled off the  
time of the meeting and warned Mamoru to be careful, Mamoru had only  
one thought running through his head. 'I will finally be able to   
get some answers.'  
  
****  
  
Later that evening, as Mamoru walked up the steps, he wondered if was  
really such a good idea. 'Talk about mixing up the past and the present!  
And, in my case, the two seem to be a rather volitile cocktail.' He took  
a deep breath as he prepared to enter. 'Here goes nothing. Let's hope  
that everyone isn't too angry.'  
  
As Mamoru walked in the room, he noticed that everyone, minus Setsuna  
was there, scattered all around the room. It was Usagi, who was standing  
near the door that noticed him first.  
  
"What is HE doing here?" she asked angrily.  
  
The whole room, minus Mamoru looked at her in surprise, which surprised  
Mamoru. 'She hasn't told them what happened yet?! That's odd.'  
  
"He's here because I asked him to be here," Setsuna said from behind  
Mamoru. He stepped aside so that she could walk further into the  
room. "The threat to him and to the future Crystal Toyko has increased."  
  
Usagi didn't ask any other questions besides that, but she did go stand  
on the other side of the room as the meeting started, something that was  
not missed by anyone else in the room. In fact, this left Mamoru  
pretty much alone close to the door; the others were on the opposide side  
of the room for the most part.  
  
After a moment of silence, Setsuns began again. "I called you together  
because the situation has worsened. I have found the woman behind this  
plot, although I am still unsure at how she is able to manipulate time.  
She cover story is-"  
  
"You mean her real story."  
  
"Excuse me?" Setsuna asked.  
  
"You heard me," Mamoru said. "It is not a 'cover story'. It is is a  
'real story'. It's the truth."  
  
"Mamoru, what are you saying-" Setsuna began, but Mamoru cut her off  
again.  
  
"May has already talked to me, Setsuna. Whatever her motives may be and  
whatever she may mistakenly think about the present, she wasn't lying."  
  
"How do you know that?" Rei demanded.  
  
Mamoru sighed. "Because, for the past three weeks I've been having  
dreams, memories of the Silver Millennium. Memories that don't fit  
what little Setsuna has told us on other occassions, but which DO fit May's   
story."  
  
"How you know that those weren't just sent by this May person? It's  
not like you have been manipulated by dreams before," Ami observed.  
  
"Besides the fact that they feel like memories?" Mamoru asked. "I'm   
pretty sure they aren't a plot because they were confirmed by someone  
who couldn't have been a part of any plot."  
  
The room erupted in conversation as the senshi fired off questions and  
demands at Mamoru. He ignored them all and looked at Setsuna.  
  
"The only reason I am here," Mamoru said over the din, "is because I  
want the truth. I want to see the truth, what REALLY happened during   
the Silver Millennium, and I'm not leaving until you share that truth   
with me, Setsuna." As if to make his point, Mamoru sat down, crossed  
his arms in front of him and prepared to wait, still looking directly  
at Setsuna.  
  
That quieted the room down some, but what caused everyone to fall  
completely silent was when Usagi looked and Setsuna and said, "I would  
like to know what really happened myself."  
  
Setsuna turned to stare at Usagi, "Princess-"  
  
Usagi held up her head. "A while ago I had a dream about the Silver  
Millennium that what very different from anything I've ever been told  
or 'remembered' on my own. A dream that lately seems to be playing  
out in real life as well," she continued as she turned to look at   
Mamoru. After a moment, she turned back to Setsuna. "I'd like to  
see what really happened too."  
  
Setsuna looked trapped, but she still tried to get out the corner she  
was in. "I understand that you want to learn more about the Silver  
Millennium; it was a wonderful time. But too much reflection on  
the past can adversely affect the future. And it is possible that Ad-"  
she cleared her throat and continued, "that this May and her lackies  
Tremaine and Arlington-"  
  
Mamoru interupted her again, "Don't you mean Terry and Yusuke, Setsuna?  
That's funny, because it sounded like you said Tremaine and Arlington,   
which aren't their names...in this life anyway. That slip leads more  
credence to what May told me than anything else anyone could have said."  
Mamoru leveled an angry look at Setsuna, "In this lifetime alone I have  
lost my parents, my memories on several occassion, some of which I never  
regained. I have died a few times. I've been kidnapped, attacked,  
brainwashed, the works. I've been put through hell, and yes, I've  
taken others with me. I think I deserve the truth. I'm not asking for  
anything else but the truth." Mamoru paused and took a deep breath  
as he prepared to deliver his bargaining chip. "If you show me, even  
if it is just me alone, the truth, I promise to remain an ally here.  
The past is important, but it is the past. My decisions for the future  
will be based on the present. However, if you deny me the truth...I  
will walk out of this temple and never return. I will never interact  
with anyone in this room again and your dream of Crystal Toyko will  
die."  
  
At this statement the room fell into a shocked silence.  
  
But Mamoru wasn't done, "I know that this future that we've seen is  
what you want above all else, Setsuna. So, what is it going to be?  
Do you answer my questions or do I leave and find people who will?"  
  
At first, Setsuna looked like she was going to fight, but then  
she sighed and looked a little defeated. "What did she say to you  
to have you so convinced?" she finally asked.  
  
"Which she, May or Reika?" Mamoru asked.  
  
At the name Reika everyone except Usagi and Setsuna gasped. Usagi  
turned her back to Mamoru to hide her hurt. And, while Mamoru noticed  
the action and was hurt by it himself, he kept his gaze on Setsuna as  
she asked, "Lady Daniella talked to you as well?"  
  
"Yes, she did." Mamoru sighed. "As to what they said. Well, in Reika's  
case it was more of a 'oh crap this is all real'. In May's case...well,  
she said something that I remember my mother, my mother the queen of   
Earth saying a long time ago."  
  
Setsuna seemed to nod, "Well, of course Queen Adaunde would quote herself,   
but what is so powerful about-"  
  
"Wait a second," Mamoru interrupted, "did you just say 'Queen' Adaunde?"  
  
"Well, yes." Setsuna replied.  
  
"May was 'Queen' Adaunde?"  
  
"Of course she was. That's why-" Setsuna stopped suddenly and gasped.  
"You didn't know," she breathed out. "You didn't know who she was."  
  
But Mamoru was still working through what he just found out. "'Queen'  
Adaunde as in 'Queen of Earth'?" Before Setsuna could get another word in  
edgewise, Mamoru voice rose with urgency, "Are you saying May was my   
mother?!"  
  
"Mamoru-" Setsuna began...  
  
But Mamoru wouldn't be pacified. "I want the truth and I want it now,"  
he said as he walked up to Setsuna, "So start talking."  
  
That seemed to annoy the Haruka. "You have NO RIGHT-" she began to shout   
at Mamoru, until Usagi interrupted her.  
  
"Actually, I think he does."  
  
That simple statement silenced the room again. Usagi took a deep breath  
and turned around to look her love in the eye. "If this May person  
was his mother, if he has family here from any life, he deserves to  
know about them. And we all deserve to know the truth." She turned  
to Setsuna. "Show us all now, please."  
  
Setsuna sighed, "Okay. Okay.' She took a deep breath as everyone around  
her sat down and Setsuna began. "I can show you the two weeks from  
the annoucement of the engagement of Serenity and Endymion to when Queen  
Beryl attacked. I still contend that too much knowledge of the past   
is just as damaging and knowing the future, BUT" Setsuna emphasized as  
it looked as if Mamoru was about to protest, "that should be enough to  
answer your questions."  
  
Those assembled in the room nodded and Setsuna began to show them a  
story, an overview of two weeks of pain, strain, and and just a little  
bit of hope, the end of two dynasties, the royal family of Earth and the  
Silver Millennium led by the queen of the moon.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
This chapter was extremely hard to write. I apologize up front for   
anything that seems OOC. I have been debating about what to add, who  
should say what, how would they/she/he really react, etc. I drove  
myself crazy with this chapter...  
  
And now I really need your help. Please, please, please critique this,  
review this, give me feedback on this. If you need a lot of room, please  
email me at cemberl@yahoo.com. Rip it to shreds, flame it, tell me in  
detail what is wrong with it, I beg you. This story is almost finished (it has three chapters to go, one of which is completely finished and  
the other two are almost finished); quick and thorough feedback on this will help me get through the last three chapters faster, possibly even finishing before mid-February. Thank you for all your support and your  
continued reading. Every chapter takes this work in a new direction; I  
hope I've enterntained some of you on this long, wild ride.  
  
Thanks for reading  
~December 


	17. Reflections of a House

Chapter 17: Reflections of a House   
Week 4, Day 1 in another area of town  
  
It was early, about 5:30 in the morning and May was out  
on the second floor balcony just outside her bedroom. The  
balcony afforded a wonderful view of Toyko. But she didn't  
come outside to sight-see, she came out to see the sunrise,   
to reconnect with nature as a way of spending quiet time with  
God. Toyko was actually getting in her way.  
  
May smirked to herself. In a way, that fit. Her mission in   
Toyko was to reunite Endymion with his family, the family  
he was separated from a long time ago. But everything in   
this Toyko, from the empress's timewalker to the life Mamoru  
Chiba had lived up to that point, just got in the way of the  
possibility of a reunion. The lies and confusion blocked the   
reunion like the buildings of Toyko blocked the sunrise. And  
a little second-story balcony does not solve the problem.  
  
May yearned for the sunrise, for nature, as a way to reestablish  
her connection with her Lord and Savior. She deseparately needed  
guidance and she had nowhere else to turn.  
  
May sight as she searched for the bit of sky she could see for  
the pink of the oncoming sunrise. The biggest part of the   
problems is that she had never been a worried mother before, at  
least not in this life. She wasn't even quite sure how to frame  
her prayers in this case; all she was sure of is that she wanted  
to help her children. She just didn't know how.   
  
First, there was Yusuke. It was near impossible for May to   
figure out what was going on in his head. He was either shouting  
or sarcastic or quiet. Since the conversation yesterday died (or  
everyone just collectively suffered from overload) at noon that  
day, Yusuke had been quiet, spending time in the home gym, but  
not really spending time with May.  
  
What worried May the most about Yusuke is something she recalled  
about Yusuke's life last night. While he was still a ghost, before  
he got his life back, his (girl)friend Keiko ran into a burning  
building to save his body. She nearly died; in fact, she would  
have died if Yusuke hadn't intervened. The story of May's actual  
death was so similar to what nearly happened to Keiko that May  
had to wonder if her story revived unpleasant memories in the  
teen.  
  
May closed her eyes briefly. Her problem was that she didn't  
know how to reach her youngest. Even after seeing his whole life,  
she still didn't really know him. He was like a 5,000 piece  
puzzle. He may play down the importance ot the important people  
in his life, but he'd do amazing things for them. May could clearly  
remember how Yusuke reacted to that demon that tried to kill his   
unconscious friend Kurama in something called The Dark Tournament.  
It was imprinted on her mind because she marveled at the many  
ways Yusuke showed, without words, that Kurama was important to him   
and all the emotions that ran clearly over Yusuke's face. One  
of the things that helped him deal with his anger, fear, and   
helplessness was that he was able to fight.  
  
Here, in this situation, the ability to fight was taken away from  
Yusuke. There was no one he beat up that would bring May back to  
life. On top of this, May would not let him fight the timewalker  
Pluto for his older brother or even for vengence for the attempt  
she made on his life. Most of the time that he had been with   
May centered around waiting, with moments of rushing thrown in.  
May smiled to herself. She remembered that Yusuke hated both  
states, waiting and rushing.  
  
Then, there was Terry, who was almost harder to read than Yusuke.  
Family was very important to Terry, in part due to the murder  
of his father. In discovering who May was, she had provided   
Terry with another parent, only to yank it away with the revelation  
of her death. Over a week ago she gave him knowledge of brothers  
from a past life, older and younger. The older one was also "taken"  
from Terry by the work of the time walker and a "not-so-white" lie.  
What does that do to a young man who values family?  
  
On top of all of this, Terry was more closed up than Yusuke about  
everything. Since convincing Terry to come with her, she had taken  
away his ability to protect others from crime and pain, both by  
barring Batman from this plane and by constraining some of his   
actions. It was through his role as Batman that Terry was able  
to handle the challenges of guilt, anger, and loss; May had denied  
him that.  
  
May looked back up to the sky. 'I seem to have a habit of ripping  
away the coping mechanisms of my children,' she thought to herself.  
  
The person that May felt the most torn up about, however, was Reika,  
the "almost daughter" from another life. Of all of them, Reika truly  
was the walking wounded. She didn't ask for anything that had   
happened; she was never given the option of not having to deal with  
it. Her engagment was one of the casualities of this skirmish  
between a time walker and a former queen. She looked so defeated.  
The look that May now saw in Reika's eyes she had only seen once  
before, in the eyes of a victim of a racial assault. A song by  
a group called Everything But the Girl floated through May's head.  
She could almost here Tracy Thorn singing, "Out amongst the   
walking wounde, every face on every bus is you and me and him  
and her. Nothing can replace the us I knew." Reika must feel  
like that, dealing with all the pairings she remembers. Endy and  
Dani, Motoki and Reika, Mamoru and Usagi. For someone who a  
week ago was just planning a wedding, how do you deal with your  
whole life being turned upside down on its head...and then still  
having to live it?!  
  
"I take it back," May murmurred to the sky, "Reika has it worse  
off that both Mary the mother of Jesus or myself. At least Mary  
was given good news and at least I had the luxury of being dead."  
May sighed and took a moment to say a prayer for all of those on  
her mind this morning...and to wonder and worry about her "other  
child" that was out there in that Toyko she saw from her balcony.  
  
*****  
  
In the kitchen Reika sat with a cup of tea in front of her.   
Yesterday, it was decided that she should stay in the mansion  
with Yusuke, Terry, and May until the last week was up. For  
the moment it was a safe space for Reika to try and figure  
out her life, but what was she going to do when that space was  
gone in a week?  
  
Reika looked done at her tea cup. Her life had given new meaning  
to the word "clusterfuck". There was so much to deal with.   
First, there were the issues left over from her first life.  
She never really got the chance to grieve the love she lost.  
She never adjusted to the adrupt shifts in her status. And,  
lately, she was thinking that there was something else she was  
forgetting or repressing. Something about her little sister.  
And then of course, there was the end of that life. How did  
she die, and was she alone?  
  
Then there was her current life. She was looking at the wreckage  
of an engagement. She hadn't returned calls from friends or family.  
She had plans up in the air, some of which she needed to cancel.  
Then there was the issue of her ex-fiance. She still didn't know   
how she really felt about Motoki. She loved him, but she had  
doubts. She was going to marry him, but it didn't feel right.  
Actually, a lot of there relationship on her end felt like she  
was paying Motoki back for being so nice to her, for making her  
laugh and for making her feel beautiful. But didn't he deserve  
someone who loved him? Or did he deserve to be with the one  
he loved, regardless of the feelings on the other side of the  
relationship?  
  
All those problems alone came from just her two lives. Then  
there were the problems that were the intersection of these two  
lives, problems that can be summed up in one question: What does  
she do about Mamoru?  
  
Reika took a sip of her tea, a little annoyed with herself that  
her hands were shaking slightly. She was not going to cry again  
this morning. She had done enough of that in the last few days.  
Crying was understandable. It was like she was a survivor of a  
wreck, a wreck that happened when her two lives collided without  
warning.  
  
To be honest, Reika really wasn't sure of who she was anymore.  
Was she Lady Daniella, Duchess of Amerwest? Was she Reika, a  
normal Japanese young woman about to be married? Was she both?  
Was she neither? It was near impossible to answer these questions  
in her current home. She'd hear Motoki's voice and think she was  
Reika, but then she'd like of Endy, of Mamoru, and think she   
was Daniella.  
  
The real question was who did she love and what did she do about  
it? And, Reika really couldn't answer that question. The Mamoru  
she knew as Reika was...an okay guy. He wasn't really her type.  
He was too closed off. At times he seemed cold. And, before Usagi  
came into his life, he didn't seem to be the type that would get  
into a serious relationship. At the same time, she still saw that  
under all those walls could possibly be a great guy. And there were  
moments, when he'd open a door for her or say something to Motoki  
when there was a glimmer of...something that touched her. Maybe  
that glimmer was Endy.  
  
Motoki actually reminded her a lot of her, that is Daniella's,   
Endy when she thought about it. The love of people, the laughter,  
the kind heart...where all so like Endy. Motoki was a little more  
confident than Endy; he would make a wonderful doctor some day.  
And, at least in some areas of the world, being a doctor's wife  
was like being nobility.  
  
All her thinking just seemed to lead to more questions. It was   
like looking at a room that desperately needed cleaning and wondering  
what to do first. "I'm going to need more tea. Or maybe  
something stronger," Reika whispered to the empty room.  
  
*****  
  
In another part of the house, the punching bags in the home gym  
were getting a rough beating...and the room echoed with shouts.  
  
"Damn you, timewalker. Girl or not I'm going to kick your ass!"  
Yusuke shouted as he charged the punching bag and executed  
some kicks and punches. "GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!" he screamed as  
he knocked the bag so hard that it flew across the room. Then  
he collasped.  
  
He'd been in the gym trying to find something to fight, something  
to do. All this talking and waiting frustrated him.  
  
If he were more honest with himself, he'd realize that he was  
running away. Running away from all the loss and pain and..."Shit."  
  
Finding out that May was his mother was a shock, maybe because she  
was more responsible in some ways than the mother he had now. Or  
maybe because she was still the pushy lady in his head, the one   
that promised him a fight and threatened him with her ax. And,  
just when he was beginning to get used to her, maybe even like  
her a bit, she announces she's dead. "At least she can still  
punch people, talk trash, and walk on the ground while being  
dead. It would have been a hell of a lot easier for me if I  
could have done that."  
  
Yusuke didn't really know how to deal with any of the craziness  
of the last few weeks. He almost wanted to go back to the old  
hag's crazy tournament. At least the rules there made sense: fight,  
find dangerous demon, stop him, get his bride from Botan. This  
world, however, didn't have easy rules for how to get his   
brother back or how to understand what happened and was happening.  
  
Damnit, he just wanted to do some damage to something. Fight  
something. Maybe that would help.   
  
He looked across the room and saw the punching bag he'd just  
knocked over there. He got up off the floor, pointed his  
finger at it, concentrated and shouted, "Spirit Gun", using  
a now slightly rusty power. The bag was destroyed and a hole  
was created in the wall behind it. In a weird way, firing  
off his Spirit Gun made him feel better, like he wasn't  
just waiting for the next big thing.  
  
*****  
  
He'd never thought that he'd actually miss patrols. All those  
times that he wanted to be out with Dana, sleeping, or doing  
anything but patroling Gotham, he never thought he'd miss it.  
But he did miss it today, because it would be something to   
take his mind off of everything.  
  
He honestly didn't know what he thought of everything. Admittedly,  
life had been weird ever since the night his father was killed.  
Now, knowing he had this other family, a family that was taken  
away from him...he honestly did not know what to do.  
  
Terry laughed. Part of him wanted to talk to Max to walk through  
all of this, although that would be weird as he was convinced that  
Max was Lady Maxine. Then, of course, Lady Maxine was a great  
shoulder for Tremaine to lean on. Why should Max be any different.  
  
The more disturbing impulse was a need to talk to Mr. Wayne about  
all of this. Wayne would think that Terry was blitzing out on   
him, but he could really use some of that Wayne logic and detachment  
about now. Knowing Mr. Wayne, however, something like this probably  
happened to him. And he probably handled it better too.  
  
Then, there was May. He still couldn't believe she was dead.  
Dead people can't talk to you. They don't eat. They can't  
touch you. They are just gone. But May insisted that she was  
dead. It was a sick twist of fate and May die and then become  
important to him. Death was so final. When this little   
window of time was over, he'd wake up and the dream would be over.  
And he'd be mourning another parent.  
  
Terry got out of bed. Even though it was still early, he was  
restless. He didn't sleep well last night. He didn't want  
to have any more dreams of a time that he couldn't get back, so  
he tried to stay awake. When he did finally fall asleep, he had  
a dream about a fire. He was in his Batsuit trying to find  
May and Mamoru to save them. But he couldn't find May anywhere,  
and the room in which Mamoru sat was blocked by a wall of fire.  
Even with Wayne in his ear giving advice, he felt helpless.   
There was nothing he could do. "Three guesses what inspired that  
nightmare," Terry muttered to himself.  
  
Terry took a deep breath and began to walk toward the bathroom.  
Maybe he could just wash away some of the confusion.  
  
*****  
  
Evening fell and the mansion was quiet. The people of the house  
really didn't really interact that much all day. In fact, May  
had only seen Terry awake. He was kind enough to bring her food  
when she didn't want to move from the balcony for...well, any  
meal, but he came to check on her at lunchtime. At about 9pm,  
everyone else in the house went to bed, probably exhausted after  
battling there own demons. But May couldn't sleep yet. Like any  
worried mother, she had to check on all of her chicks. She  
concentrated and changed into her own timewalker outfit. Sure,  
she couldn't talk to her oldest, but she could make sure he was   
alright.  
  
****  
  
She stood in the shadows on the roof of a nearby building. From her  
vantage point she could see into Mamoru's apartment just barely.  
He had come home just a few minutes ago. He looked agitated and  
seemed to be brooding. Something was obviously wrong, but what  
was it?  
  
She watched him run his hands through his hair for the thirty-first  
time as he continued to pace. He looked confused and resigned.  
"My poor baby," May said in a quiet voice.  
  
Feeling helpless, May looked up to the sky. "Lord, what do I do  
now? How can I help my children?" She felt her eyes begin to  
fill with tears. "Can you look after them for me? Will you take  
care of them for me?" she asked the night. After looking in the  
sky for several minutes more, she turned back to look into in  
Mamoru's apartment. "I can't leave, not yet," May whispered   
quietly as she sat in the shadow on the roof, determined to spend  
most of the night looking over her oldest.  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Hey everyone.  
  
First, I'd like to apologize for the length of time it has taken   
me to get this next chapter up. Schoool, life...these things   
happen, and when they do, they mess up your schedule.  
  
Another part of the problem is that I'm now taking this story  
in another direction...again. The story I thought I was writing  
was really almost finished in February. Then I received great  
feedback from a reader. In the course of her email she pointed  
out that there were a lot of issues that I'd stirred up in the  
past chapters that she was looking forward to see how I resolved.  
That was when I realized that I hadn't resolved the issues, but  
written one of those unrealistic, too "pat" endings that I   
absolutely hate reading. So, I've spent some time with the   
story and have plan a good 5 more chapters at least to deal with  
some of these problems. And some of my original ending (which  
is already written) may have to go. Oh, well.  
  
Thank you all for reading and for your reviews and emails. Please  
let me know what you think of this chapter and any questions  
or suggestions that you have. In many ways it is those emails  
that make this a better story.  
  
~December. 


	18. Not Everything Survives

Chapter 18: Not everything survives  
Week 4, Day 2  
  
He sat in one of the back boothes, away from the window,  
huddled over a cup of coffee. Although still rather  
attractive, he looked a wreck. His black hair was a mess  
due to running his head through it over and over and over  
again. His shoulders were slumped over with tiredness.  
His eyes were red; as to why that was, he would not admit  
to if asked. And, to top if all off, his head ached from  
all the ideas, memories, and images running willy-nilly   
through his mind's eye.  
  
Mamoru sighed. He left is apartment to get away, but all  
he was running from followed him there, at least in memory  
if not in fact. He quickly glanced round the room to be  
sure that nothing followed him in fact. He didn't used  
to be paranoid, but after last night...  
  
He'd left the senshi meeting soon after Pluto finished  
showing them the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium.  
He saw no point in staying while the senshi re-hashed   
everything with each other. Watching those two weeks  
was painful enough without having to relive it again in  
conversation. Besides, as the one person "originally"  
from earth, he had different issues from everyone else  
in the room. He left them to deal with their own  
issues and he went home to decompress.  
  
Soon after he arrived home, he felt someone watching him.  
He felt that someone's gaze all night, even during the  
fitful sleep he managed to catch. He didn't go looking  
around to try to find out who was watching him. If you  
asked him why, he probably would have said he was too  
tired to care. If he were more honest, especially with  
himself, he would admit that he didn't investigate because  
he didn't feel threatened. Actually, although he felt  
watched, he felt cared for. The feeling of being watched  
over actually helped him to get the little bit of sleep  
he got, when he wasn't haunted by memories. So being  
watched all last night didn't bother him last night. It  
did, however, bother him in the morning.  
  
When he emerged from his apartment this morning, trying  
to out-run his memories, he heard the mutterings of his  
neighbors and nearby strangers. In almost every conversation  
he overheard that morning he heard about "the senshi on the  
roof last night" or "the senshi standing guard on that building"  
or some variation of this. From the little he had been able  
to hear, this senshi clearly had a staff of some kind and  
was looking at his building all night long. At that point he  
became angry and paranoid. Was Pluto so worried that he would  
bolt after what she showed him that she had to stand  
guard over him all night?  
  
Then, of course, Pluto had reason to be worried. For years  
she had withheld an important part of his, albeit past, life  
from him. Knowing about this part of his past life sooner  
would have changed a lot of what he had done and for what  
loyalities he would have fought...or never formed. His past,  
this part of him, had been kept from him for years. It is   
understandable that such knowledge could cause him to take   
action.  
  
But, on the other hand, Pluto didn't have a good reason to  
worry. He had given his word; he'd agreed to give up his  
family in order to find out more about them. Even if, based  
on the knowledge he now had, he wanted to reconnect with  
them, he had already promised he wouldn't. Watching those  
last two weeks with that decision weighing in the back of  
his mind just made everything more painful. But, he was   
a man of his word. He made the promise and he was going to   
stick by it, even if it meant never seeing his mother or   
brothers again. By granting his demand, Pluto had actually  
showed him what he was giving up.  
  
One scene from those two weeks stood out the most, especially  
since it didn't seem to fit with the others. It was a sunny  
day, probably around noon. He, that is Prince Endymion, stood  
in one of the many clearings in the elaborate palace gardens,  
obviously lost in thought, gazing at the horizon. Suddenly,  
he heard someone clearing their throat behind him.  
  
"You know, if you are going to space out, you really should have  
your personal guard with you," a familar voice said.  
  
"Yeah," chined in another equally familar voice, "you are  
sitting duck out here, Cape Boy! If you refuse to have your  
guard with you, you should at least pay attention!"  
  
Endymion turned to face his two younger brothers who stood in  
a nearby doorway. "I am in the palace gardens," he pointed out.  
  
"And palace security has been rather lax recently, has it not?  
With our visitors and all," his younger brother Arlington  
pointed out. It is not as safe as it was a few weeks ago."  
  
Endymion sighed, "Point taken. I will try to be more careful  
in the future."  
  
"That is all we ask," his other brother, Tremaine, said. "Oh,  
and Endy? Think fast," Tremaine added as he threw something  
at his brother.  
  
Endymion reflexively reached out to catch the object. After  
catching it, he looked down in confusion at the blue crystal-like  
substance.  
  
"It is a soothing crystal. A creation from the Medic   
merchants," Tremaine explained. Then he briefly paused before  
saying, "Nella wanted me to give it to you. She thought you   
might need it."  
  
"Dani," Endymion said softly as he looked down at the crystal  
again. "With all that is going on, she still takes time to   
think of me."  
  
By this point, his brothers had left the doorway and were walking  
towards him. They stopped less than a foot in front of him.  
  
"So, what are you going to do now?" Arlington asked softly.  
  
"My duty," was Endymion's soft reply.  
  
"Is there really no way out of this? I would glady take your  
place, Endy. It is hard to see you like this," Tremaine said.  
  
Endymion patted Tremaine's shoulder. "I shall be okay. But,"  
Endymion added, "there is something that could make me feel  
better."  
  
"What? We shall do anything in our power to help," Tremaine  
vowed as Arlington nodded.  
  
"Good," Endymion said as he started to ruffle Tremaine's hair.  
"Then just don't complain."  
  
"Hey! Quit it!" Tremaine complained as he ducked, but he didn't  
move away.  
  
"This is great!" Arlington said as he laughed at the discomfort  
of his older brother.  
  
"Really?" Tremaine asked. "Then it would not be fair to leave  
you out, then," he said as he grabbed his younger brother and held  
him in a headlock.  
  
"Hey! Let me go!"  
  
"Just as soon as Endy quits messing with me."  
  
"But I am having so much fun," Endy said. "And you two did say  
that you would do anything in your power to help."  
  
"There are laws against this!" Arlington complained  
  
"What are you going to do about it? Call for Momma?"  
  
"I am not a baby!"  
  
The shouting and mostly good natured harassment probably would have   
gone on for longer if at that moment feminine laughter wasn't  
heard. After which a masculine sigh was heard.  
  
"Maybe I should have taken your advice and put in them in military  
training. Look at them."  
  
"I think it is cute," was the laughter tinged reply of the queen  
as she and her husband walked to her children. "Besides, they are  
just boys."  
  
"They are the future of this realm," the king complained, but his  
voiced sounded suspiously like he was trying to hold back laughter.  
  
"They are fine," the queen snorted. "Just as long as they don't  
have to pose for any royal portraits any time soon." The queen  
smiled as she reached her children.  
  
At that point, Endymion opened his mouth to say -  
  
"You could have at least called me."  
  
Mamoru blinked. Started, he moved his left hand too quickly and   
coffee sloshed over the right side of the cup. Still a little  
spellbounded by the memory, he tried to shake his head to clear  
it. "What?" he asked the air.  
  
"I said, you could have at least called me. After all I've  
done for you, all you had to do was pick up the phone."  
  
Mamoru turned to his left, belatedly realizing that the voice  
was very much a part of the present and not the past. There  
stood his friend Motoki, whom he hadn't called or talked to  
for days. Motoki actually looked worse that Mamoru felt. His  
eyes were also red; his clothes were wrinkled and his hair  
was dishevled. He also looked like he hadn't slept in days.  
  
Looking at his friend and seeing the obvious pain that he was  
still in, Mamoru felt guilty. "I didn't know what to say," Mamoru  
said softly.  
  
"Who the hell said that you had to 'say' anything? It's called  
picking up a phone and asking what you can do for me! All I  
needed was a friend to listen to me. My life has been hell  
the last few days; you knew this. You were one of the first  
people who knew this.  
  
"How could you do this to me?" Motoki continued, not realizing  
that his voice had risen. "I have ALWAYS been there for you.   
Always. Even when you didn't talk to me. Even when you acted   
like a jackass to all and sundry, I was still there for you. And  
you can't even be bothered to pick up a phone when I'm at the  
lowest point in my life.  
  
"Well, you know what? I'm finished. I can't do this anymore.  
Since you seemed to have lost my number over the past few  
days, do me a favor and lose it pernamently." And with that,  
Mamoru watched one of his oldest friends walk away and out of  
his life.  
  
"Shit," Mamoru said to himself as he leaned back and closed  
his eyes. 'Just when you think things can't get any worse.'  
  
- to be continued -  
  
Oh, wow. I can't believe I just did that. Some people really  
aren't going to be happy with me. But, honestly, how else  
would that scene play out?  
  
Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait on this chapter. With everything  
going on lately (and the fact that I'm sick) it has taken me  
a little longer to get back to this. I've started the next  
chapter...hopefully it won't take me forever to get it posted.  
  
And I promise, the story does have an ending. At this point,  
I think the end is about three or four chapters off. Oh,  
and someone asked about the present life of the King of Earth,  
so here are the answers to your questions. Yes, it is Prince  
William, and no, I don't think he will be making an appearance  
in the story.  
  
Anyway, thanks for reading. And let me know what you think.  
Read and review or send me an email at cemberl@yahoo.com.  
  
~December 


	19. The Beginning and the End Have the Same ...

Chapter 19: The Beginning and the End Have the Same last name  
Week 4, Day 3  
  
Reika shot up in bed with a gasp. 'So that's what I was  
repressing. No wonder I didn't want to remember.'  
  
She was horrified by what she remembered when she closed her  
eyes. She was pained that she had to live through it all   
in her memory. The end of everything in that lifetime was  
not a pretty end, and she still carried around guilt about   
what happened, because, after all, it was her fault.  
  
Reika got out of bed and reached for her robe. She wasn't  
really sure if anyone was up yet, but she knew one thing; she  
had to apologize.  
  
As she went into the kitchen, she found Terry, Yusuke, and May  
very much awake. May was putting food in front on the two  
boys and saying, "You have to eat something. And I don't want  
to hear anything about my cooking, Yusuke," when Reika walked  
through the door.  
  
Without any introduction or greeting, Reika looked at the three  
of them and said, "It was all my fault. The fall of earth was my   
fault."  
  
With that, everyone in the kitchen froze momentarily. After a   
few heartbeats, May turned to face Reika, with a look of incomprehension  
on her face. "What?" she asked.  
  
It was not surprising that May and the others were confused.  
No one had thought or talked about their past lives for over a day.  
  
Yesterday, when everyone had somehow managed to gather in the  
kitchen at the same time for breakfast, May said, "You know,   
all in all, I've really enjoyed the last three weeks."  
  
"What?!" Yusuke shouted at her, looking at May like she  
was crazy.  
  
"I mean, think about it from my side. For three weeks,  
I haven't had to work on my thesis. No trying to   
decifer coding sheets I worked on in November. No   
transcribing tapes. No screaming at SPSS because it   
wouldn't do what I wanted. No crying because I discovered  
another 3 books that I needed to read for my literature  
review. For three whole weeks! It's absolutely great.  
  
"And you must feel some relief, too," she said to Terry.  
"I mean, it's been over a week since you had to do any  
patrols."  
  
"Yeah," Terry conceeded. "But," he continued, "I still  
haven't been able to go out with Dana to dinner or to  
a club."  
  
"Point taken," May acknowledged. "Wait! The four of  
us could go clubbing. You could dance with me."  
  
At that, Terry laughed. "For some reason, something   
about that arrangement just seems wrong."  
  
May laughed and then looked at Yusuke. "But, you know,  
we shouldn't celebrate our good fortune too much. Poor  
Yusuke must be in agony. He hasn't had anyone to beat up  
in a while." May smiled at her youngest, "I could make you  
a Kuwabara dummy to knock around if it would make you  
happy."  
  
"No thanks, lady. But, I could go trolling around town looking  
for some trouble."  
  
Terry snickered, "Yeah, right. Like May's going to let you  
do that."  
  
May threw Yusuke a look. "Why don't I call you 'dimwit' and  
we'll call it even?"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
May sat down on one of the kitchen stools and twirled around on  
it. "I need to do something. Something to celebrate this   
opportunity I have to goof off for a few more days."  
  
Reika had laughed at this and turned to the former queen, who seemed   
much more like a carefree twenty-seven year old that morning, instead  
of an overburdened mother and past ruler. "What do you have in  
mind?"  
  
"I don't know! I'm thinking," May said through her laughter.  
After a few moments, she shot up out of the stool. "That's it!  
I'll bake an apple pie!"  
  
"You'll bake a what?!" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Oh, and you have to tell me what your favorite foods are   
and I'll try to make those too."  
  
Terry smiled, "Something tells me you wouldn't know how to  
start to make them."  
  
"Oh come on, killjoy. We have Internet access in this place.  
You'd be amazed how many recipes are on the Net. Come on,"  
May whined when she saw the boys faces, "it'll be fun. Trust me."  
  
And it was fun. For a whole day, none of them dealt with their  
past lives. Reika didn't even deal with the trainwreck that was  
her present life. In the kitchen they acted like what they were:  
a 14 year old boy, a 17 year old boy, and two women over twenty  
goofing off in the kitchen. They had food fights and interesting  
experiences in cooking. 'At least the apple pie was good,' Reika  
thought as she reflected on the memory.  
  
For a whole day, they didn't deal with anything but the immediate  
present and acting their age. So it wasn't any wonder that they  
were confused by the abrupt shift back to the past that Reika  
invoked in her statement.  
  
By this point, all three people in the kitchen were staring at   
Reika. "What you mean the fall was your fault?" May finally asked.  
"I don't remember anything that would cause me to come to that  
conclusion."  
  
"Neither do I." Terry, looking both puzzled and concerned, added,  
"Why don't you tell us, from the beginning, what led you to think  
that the fall was your fault?"  
  
"Yeah, and sit down, already! Your legs look like they are  
about to give out and you're making me nervous," Yusuke chimed  
in.  
  
Reika smiled quietly at Yusuke as she took the seat across from  
Terry. Although Yusuke's statement would probably sound harsh  
to people who didn't know him, Reika realized it was his way of  
showing that he cared and was worried about her.  
  
After seating herself, Reika took a deep breath and began to   
explain. "Last night, I had a dream. I remembered something  
from those last days that I really didn't want to.  
  
"I'm sure all of you remember my little sister Beryl. She  
was such a sweet little girl. She was all of eight when Endy  
and I, I mean, and Daniella were engaged. She adored her  
older sister. She also had a little crush on Endy," Reika smiled  
at the memory. "It was kinda cute, actually. And she doted  
on Tremaine. I think she was the first person to reach out  
to him when he was in training at my father's estate."  
  
"I remember her," Terry said quietly. "Cute little girl, masses  
of red hair, like yours. Big smile. Rather honest. But, Reika,"  
Terry continued, "what does any of this have to with the fall?"  
  
Reika sighed, "It has to do with the fall because Beryl was the  
queen that launched against us and then against the moon empire."  
  
After a pause, the table exploded in conversation, Yusuke shouting,  
May asking more questions in confusion, Terry sharing his puzzleness.   
  
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" May finally got the table to quiet  
down. "How could the queen that launched on us have been Beryl?  
She wasn't even nine at the time and the hag that launched on us  
was at least thirty-five!"  
  
"She grew up when she accepted the dark power."  
  
"What?" Terry asked.  
  
Reika held out her hand, forstalling all other questions. "Let me  
start from the beginning," Reika said. Then, she took a deep breath  
and began to recount her memory.  
  
It was the third day of the week, four days before Prince Endymion  
of Earth was to wed the princess of the moon. To say that many  
of the people on earth were unhappy about the situation was an   
understatement. Besides resenting the interference of the "moon  
tryanny," many people, from common worker to high ranking noble,  
though that their Prince Endy belonged with Lady Dani. To see  
that couple torn apart was hard on many a citizen of earth.  
  
Added to this was the fact that the Earth had to host the   
royal family from the moon the week before. It was hard on the   
royal family and harder on the Houses of Knight, Imani, and Academe.  
The House of Knight in particular, as it was Daniella's house,  
struggled greatly with having to tolerate the presence of the  
moon royals.  
  
During the time that Princess Serenity was on her planet, Daniella  
fell into a depression of sorts. She did not go home, refusing to  
be run off by "the moon brat", a nickname that had been passed  
around the young nobility to refer to the princess. (Rumor had it  
that Prince Arlington coined the nickname, but, of course, no one would  
confirm that.) So she stayed around the palace, but she never made  
a scene, and only weakened that once...in the garden in Endy's   
arms. She let on and gave up nothing while the moon royals were  
in residence. After they left, she did return home for awhile,  
just to be with her family and to break the final news, a   
wedding date had been set...and no one from earth was invited to  
the ceremony on the moon.  
  
When she arrived home two days ago, Dani talked with both her  
parents and her sister. In the conversation with her parents,  
it was more about getting confort from her mother, Lady Talia,  
instructions on how to appear unphased and continue on from  
her father, Lord Anthony; and advice about accessing power  
for revenge from her grandfather. She wisely didn't mention  
her grandfather's suggestion when she talked to her father,  
as her father would be extreme angry that such a suggestion  
was even made. It was the conversation with her sister that  
didn't go well.  
  
"Beryl," Daniella had said when she knocked lightly on her  
sister's door and then stuck her head in, "may I come in?  
There is something I have to tell you."  
  
Her sister nodded and Daniella walked in, still holding  
the golden orchid the queen had given her when she left  
the palace.  
  
Beryl's gaze zeroed in on that orchid and she quickly   
made an assumption. "Did Endy give you that? Are you  
back together? Is that moon brat gone?" she asked  
rather excitedly.  
  
Daniella had sighed as she looked at her sister.  
"No," she said quietly as she sat down across from her  
sister on the bed. "I came to tell you that...that-"  
Daniella took a deep breath to keep her voice from  
breaking, "I came to tell you that a date has been  
set for the wedding. Endy is marrying Serenity at  
the end of this week, on the moon." Daniella faultered  
when she looked up and saw her sister's face fall.  
"Beryl, sweetie, I am sorry. But that is just the  
way things are -"  
  
"Did you fight for him?" Beryl interrupted.  
  
"Excuse me?" Daniella asked, confused. "What do you  
mean?"  
  
"You heard me. Did you fight for him? Or did you   
just hand him to the moon brat on a silver platter?  
I bet you did not fight for him. You would have won  
him if you had!"  
  
"Beryl, it is not that simple. This is about more than  
how I feel or how Endy and I feel about each other. We  
have to think about all the other people on this planet-"  
  
"Why?" Beryl asked. "The two of you are in love. That  
should solve all problems, always."  
  
Daniella looked at her little sister and said, "Sometimes  
love is not enough, Beryl. Occasionally, you make sacrifices  
out of love for the greatest good."  
  
"People usually start talking about 'the greatest good' when   
they know they are about to do something wrong," Beryl  
pointed out.  
  
Daniella stared at her sister for a while, in shock at the   
comment. Finally she said in a quiet voice, "Do you think  
this is easy for me? Do you think that I am not affected  
by all of this? Am I such a good actress that even you cannot  
see how this is tearing me up inside?"  
  
Her little sister looked back at her for awhile. Then she  
reached over and gave Daniella a hug. "No, I know that   
this is hurting you," Beryl said, "but I also know that,  
for whatever reason, you are scared to fight. You always   
have been scared to fight or deviate too much from the   
rules because you were afraid of failing. But don't worry  
big sister, I'll fight for you." Beryl, then broke the  
hug and got off the bed to walk to the door.  
  
When she reached the door, she turned around and said, "Although,  
if you never gain the courage to fight for love, you'll   
be cursed to live without it forever." And, with that   
cryptic comment, she left.  
  
And Daniella hadn't seen her since. Now, about forty-eight  
hours after that conversation, Daniella was beginning to worry.  
In general, the estate was big and someone could easily avoid a   
member of the family for a day. Added to the fact that Daniella  
spent a lot of time in her room, as she didn't want to cry  
in front of her family anymore. But, by this point, Beryl  
usually would have come looking for her, to talk. Yes, Beryl  
and Daniella were different, but, in a weird way, they were  
rather close. So, Daniella decided to go looking for her.  
  
Later, she would wish that she had not.  
  
Daniella had started at one end of the estate and had nearly  
reached the other when she ran into her grandfather. And he  
greated her strangely.  
  
Looking down at her, in his normally errie way, he said, "Ah,  
if it is not my not-so-brave granddaughter. What do you quest  
after now?"  
  
"Hello, grandfather," Daniella replied. "I am - well, have  
you seen Beryl?"  
  
"Ah, your brave sister. She is much more like your mother  
would have been had she not fallen for that Knight and settled  
for the conventional. That Knight, you are so like him, he  
always must do things the hard way. He turned down the   
chance at so much power..."  
  
Her grandfather continued speaking, but Daniella tuned him  
out for a bit as she winced. Grandfather was forever calling  
her father "Knight" instead of his name. Grandfather was also  
forever harping on about this power that could make people  
immortal and give them abilities beyond their wildest dreams.  
He claimed he used it. It made Daniella nervous. It didn't  
sound like a good idea, and, it appeared it made people unstable.  
'Now I am sounding like father,' Daniella thought to herself.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Daniella interrupted her grandfather,  
"Grandfather, does that mean that you have seen Beryl?"  
  
"Yes, I have. She was brave enough to take the option that  
you turned down."  
  
"The option I turned down?" Daniella asked. A second later  
the answer can to her. "Oh no. I have to stop her." She  
looked up at her grandfather. "Where is this pit?"  
  
"Granddaughter, your sister made her choice. One that I  
think is wise. You should not-"  
  
"Where is this pit? Take me there, or I shall tell mother  
what is going on and make her and father take me there."  
  
Her grandfather looked at her and realized that she was  
serious. "If you wish to go to the pit, follow me," he   
said as he turned and walked toward the door. Daniella  
followed.  
  
The long walk through the countryside and the woods was  
not an easy one, but Daniella stayed very close to her  
grandfather. Finally, they reached a cave. "The pit  
is in there," her grandfather said.  
  
Daniella nodded, and quickly entered the cave, her   
grandfather right behind her. She had only gone a   
few feet, when her grandfather stopped her by grabbing  
her shoulder and holding her in place. "Something   
is wrong."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"There is a foreign power here. It has polluted the pit."  
  
"And you let my sister in there?! Let me go!" Daniella  
shrugged off the restraining arm of her grandfather and   
ran deeper into the cave in search of her sister.  
  
When she reached an cavern that housed pit of some sort,  
filled with bubbling green lava, she saw her. Floating  
above the pit, with black magic all around her was  
a woman. She looked about thirty-five or forty, although  
it was obvious that she hadn't aged well. She wore a  
hideously awful purple dress and had horns at her  
elbows. She was laughing, but the laughter had an evil  
sound. Yet, even with all of those changes, Daniella   
recognized her sister.  
  
"Beryl! What happened to you?"  
  
"Beryl?! I am Queen Beryl to you! I am destined to grab  
the power that you were too scared to take. I am destined  
to take revenge on the moon kingdom for all they have done  
to us. And I am destined to make the royal family of Earth  
pay for being cowards. I will unleashed the Negaforce and  
rule the universe!"  
  
"What?!" Daniella looked at her sister in horror. "This is   
crazy. You do not mean to launch on earth! You must not!  
You would not hurt Tremaine or his family; I know you would  
not. I do not know what has happened to you, but with help  
from the Creator, I'm sure - "  
  
"I want nothing to do with your 'Creator'! I serve Metallia  
now." Queen Beryl laughed again, but for a moment, her  
eyes flashed. It seemed as if something was at war within  
her. Finally, the voice of an eight year old child said through  
the mouth of this older woman, "I am sorry that I cannot control  
it anymore. I love you, Dani. Know that I did this for you, so   
that you could have Endy back and we would be happy. Tell mother  
I love her and father I am sorry."   
  
Then just as quickly as it appeared, it was over. The woman  
who called herself "Queen Beryl" was back in total control.  
"You will all pay for your cowardice! Out of my way, peon!"  
  
Using her new dark powers, Queen Beryl threw Lady Daniella and  
her grandfather against the wall of the cave. Then she floated out,  
her evil laughter lingering in the cave like a cloud of doom.  
  
Daniella picked herself off of the floor of the cave and turned   
to her grandfather, who was also getting to his feet. "We have to   
stop her!" she said.  
  
"Agreed, granddaughter. If you get into the pit yourself, you  
will have enough power to take your sister on and the two of  
us together-"  
  
"Are you crazy?" Daniella interrupted her grandfather, much to  
agitated to worry about being respectful. "Your precious pit  
has already been polluted once, and look what that did to my  
sister! I am not taking the chance that it could happen again.  
I am going to get father and mother, tell them what happened,  
and warn the royal family. Then, I'm bringing father back here  
and we are destroying this place." With that, Daniella turned   
toward the cave exit and began to walk back.  
  
"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, granddaughter," her  
grandfather said softly as he came up behind her and knocked  
her unconscious.  
  
The last thougt Daniella had as she fell was that she wouldn't  
have the chance to warn the royal family, or Endy.  
  
As she finished relating her memory, Reika took a deep breath  
that ended up sounding like a choked sob. Touching her face,  
she realized in shock that she was crying...and that she  
was looking down at the table.  
  
Wiping away her tears, she looked up into the faces of May,  
Terry, and Yusuke. May and Terry looked properly sympathetic.  
"Reika, you poor thing." May said quietly. Terry handed her  
his napkin, so that she could wipe her tears.  
  
Yusuke, true to form, was not reacting the same way that Terry  
and May were. If anything, he looked confused. After a few  
minutes of silence, he burst out with, "But it wasn't your fault."  
  
Everyone at the table, turned to look at him, but he seemed  
oblivious to the stares. "I mean, if it was anyone's fault,   
it was your sister's. Or that freaky old man that was your  
grandfather. Or that "Metallia" or whatever force polluted  
that pit. But it wasn't your fault. What could you have done  
anyway?"  
  
"Yusuke!" May shouted at him. "I cannot believe you said that!  
How unfeeling can you be?!"  
  
"May's right, twip. You could have been a bit more sensitive there."  
Terry chimed in.  
  
For a few moments, while May and Terry both screamed at Yusuke,  
who screamed back, Reika sat thinking about what Yusuke said...  
and realized that he was right. "Thank you, Yusuke," she said  
quietly, doubting that anyone would hear her over the shouts.  
  
But, amazingly, at her words, the shouts stopped and everyone  
turned to look at her. After a few beats, Yusuke replied with,  
"You're welcome."  
  
- to be continued -  
  
I feel like I'm always apologizing about how long it  
takes me to update. I am hoping that this story will  
be finished by the end of May. I have two or three  
more chapters planned....but I keep making things  
so complex that I never really know what I'm doing   
next.  
  
Thanks to all of you who are still readind this   
constantly evolving story. I appreciate the feedback,  
especially as I'm still struggling with how to end  
this believeably...if any crossover is really believeable.  
Please read and review or email me at cemberl@yahoo.com  
And I'll try to get another update out sooner rather   
than later.  
  
~December 


	20. At the Corner of Park and Kitchen

Chapter 20: At the Corner of Park and Kitchen  
  
Week 4, day 3  
  
She took a deep breath as she stood outside the gates of the park, trying to get her courage up. She didn't want to do this, as she really didn't know what her reception would be. She hadn't talked to him since their fight five days ago and hadn't seen him since the meeting two days ago. With all she now knew, it was still a mystery of where their relationship currently stood. It was that uncertainty that she didn't know how to handle.  
  
The only reason she agreed to meet Mamoru in the park was because the senshi practically ordered that they get together and work out where their relationship stood. Ordinarily, she probably would have fought them on this issue, but, in their numerous discussions they had had over the last few days, Pluto reminded her that ChibiUsa wouldn't exist unless she rebuilt her relationship with the man she still loved. Usagi felt compelled to risk more heartache for the sake of her future daughter.  
  
As she sighed and entered the park, Usagi realized that she wasn't really sure what she wanted. She knew she loved Mamoru Chiba, and not just because it appeared that Serenity loved Endymion during the Silver Millennium. Even with all the pain and confusion she felt when the last two weeks of the Silver Millennium were revealed to her, watching the truth did do one good thing. It showed her very clearly that Endymion and Mamoru (and Serenity and herself) were different people, and while their Silver Millennium counterparts may or may not have loved each other, she still loved Mamoru. She loved him for who he was, faults and all. She loved being able to make him smile, to comfort him, and to give him hope. With everything that had happened to them over the years, she never doubted that she loved him. She just wasn't sure anymore whether he loved her. And, considering that it appeared that Endymion didn't love Serenity either, Usagi was feeling rather hopeless about where that left her and Mamoru.  
  
As she neared the place where they had agreed to meet, she saw him standing by their bench, looking off in the distance, appearing rather tense and closed off. At that point, she almost turned around to go back home, unsure of how much more pain her heart could stand. But, as she continued to look at him, she noticed how worn and alone he looked. She decided that she had to talk to him, to try to help him because she loved him, whether he returned the feeling or not. She just wasn't sure exactly how to start.  
  
"Mamoru?" she asked in a quiet voice, figuring that the best way to start was to actually get his attention.  
  
If she hadn't been paying close attention, she probably would have missed the fact that he flinched at the fact that she addressed him by his name and not by the affectionate "Mamo-chan" she would have used a week ago. As he turned to face her, he seemed to struggle with something himself, but he finally acknowledged her, "Usagi."  
  
She may have flinched when he called her by her name. She really wasn't sure how she reacted externally. Internally she was...hurt that he didn't call her "Usako", in part because it gave her even more doubts about their relationship, but she really couldn't blame him. He was probably as lost about what to do next as she was.  
  
They stood in silence for a few minutes, until Mamoru offered his arm and asked, "Shall we?" Usagi nodded as she moved forward to take his arm.  
  
They walked for a while in silence, each wrestling with their own thoughts. While unsure about what her partner was thinking, Usagi clearly recognized all of the uncertainties, fears, worries, and other unpleasant emotions that were running through her mind. It especially bothered her that Mamoru had not said anything or asked her any questions. Knowing that he had a family of some sort nearby after all this time of being alone, Usagi thought at he would at least want to talk about that. Even if he didn't love her, she had also been his friend when they were together. Sure, she didn't understand all the stuff he was learning at the university, as school had never been her strong point, but she did understand love and loss. She listened when he told her about losing his family, about Fiore, and she understood. Regardless of his feelings for her know, he had to know that she would still listen to him now.  
  
Realizing, as the silence stretched on, that Mamoru was not going to bring up the subject himself, she found herself asking, "How are they? Have you talked to them yet?"  
  
Mamoru stopped suddenly and looked down at Usagi, confusion obvious on his face, "How are who?"  
  
Usagi sighed, "Your family...the one from the Silver Millennium, I mean. They are here, you said so yourself at the meeting. After everything we know now, I figured that you must have been to see them." Seeing the shuttered look in Mamoru's eyes, she tried to smile at him, to communicate that he didn't have to hide things from her. "It's okay. You can tell me about them. I know how much it means to you to have family again."  
  
At that, Mamoru dropped her arm and walked a few feet away from her. At a few beats he said, "I haven't seen them and I'm not going to."  
  
As that was the last thing that Usagi expected to hear, it was easy to understand why she shouted "What?!" as loud as she did. After taking a moment to get her confusion in order, she walked over to Mamoru and stood in front of him, trying to look him in the eye. "But why?"  
  
Mamoru looked away as he ran a hand through his hair. "I promised Pluto that I would remain an ally in return for the truth of what happened in the past. She gave me that truth, so I'm upholding my end of the bargain."  
  
Now Usagi was the one to be confused. "But what does staying our ally have to do with not seeing your family?"  
  
Mamoru shook his head in amazement. "You really have no idea, do you?" he asked. Taking what must have been an obvious look on confusion on her face as his answer, he tried to explain. "May and Pluto seem to see this whole thing as a war, with me as the prize. Both sides are so sure that they are completely right and the other is completely wrong." Mamoru ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I talked to May before I confronted Pluto;" he expounded, "I've listened to everything Pluto has said about this since day one. To both of them, this is about choosing sides. To get the truth from Pluto, I chose her side. To talk to anyone for the other side, be it my mother or one of my brothers would be seen as treason." He turned to look at her. "I promised loyalty for the truth, knowing what I was giving up. Besides," he added, "if I had gone to see Reika after that senshi meeting, wouldn't that had been seen as betrayal to you?"  
  
At that question, Usagi let her hand fall off his arm. She was quiet for a moment, merely taking one deep breath after another as a lot of conflicting emotions went through her head. She didn't know what to say, so she uttered the truth. "Yes," she agreed quietly, "it would have felt like a betrayal."   
  
After her agreement, there was silence as Usagi wrestled with herself eternally, trying to find the word for what she was saying. All she could clearly think was what she didn't want. She didn't want to be second place, not in this. She didn't want to be chosen because someone felt trapped. She didn't want to be the unwanted price when someone demanded what they deserved. Taking a deep breath, she looked up from the ground and tried to express all of what she felt. "Mamoru, I don't want you to stay and obviously suffer just because you wanted to know the truth." She sighed. "Mamoru, these people are your family. Family is important, whether it be from this life of the last. Seeing and talking with Queen Serenity was important to me every time it happened; it would still be important to me knowing what I know now. Having Mom, Dad, and Shingo in my life is important to me, even when Shingo is being a brat. How much more important to you is your Silver Millennium family as you have been here years without the family you had in this life?   
  
"Mamoru, I know what this must mean to you," Usagi continued. "You have to talk to them; you would never forgive yourself if you let them go and never really talked to them. And" her voice caught for a second, but she pressed on, feeling compelled to share one more truth, "And, all I really want is for you to be happy."  
  
Mamoru looked off into the sky, obviously in thought. After a few moments, he replied with, "Thank you, Usagi. Thank you for trying to understand, but...I'm not sure that going to see them is the best idea. Yes, part of me really does want to see them, but" he stopped as if realizing something on his own. After a moment he continued, "But making peace with my past is only part of what I'd have to do to be happy. I'd have to bring my present and future in line as well, and going to deal with the past alone won't do that."  
  
"What if I come with you?" Usagi asked before she thought about it. Seeing the shock on his face, she quickly added, "Only if you think it is a good idea, of course. I don't want to be any trouble and I promise not to get in the way-"  
  
Mamoru cut her off with a shocked, "You would do that for me? You would come with me?"  
  
"Yes," Usagi replied.  
  
"Why?" Mamoru asked, confusion, hope, and fear all heard in his question.  
  
Usagi looked at him and felt silence. There were a lot of answers to that question. She wanted to come with him because she still cared about him; because she was afraid of losing him; because she was curious about his family. There were even reasons that she couldn't seem to put into words. But the only reason that felt safe enough to share was the one that eventually came out of her mouth, "Because I'm your friend and you may need someone with you."  
  
The love of her life looked down at her in shock for a few minutes, "Thank you," he said quietly. Then he turned and just looked at her for a few moments. The unwavering attention made Usagi a little nervous, so much so that she almost missed his question,"How did I get lucky enough to have you in my life this time around?"  
  
Usagi looked up in surprise, "You think it's lucky?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"But why?" Usagi asked again, "During the Silver Millenium-"  
  
Mamoru cut her off. "That doesn't matter, at least not in this." Mamoru sighed and took a few steps away from her. Then he turned around, "Look, in the last few days I've found out a lot about my past life that I didn't know. And it has wrecked havoc on my present. In all of this, I haven't...well, I haven't been the nicest or most supportive person." He blinked a few times as if trying to hide tears, but before Usagi could really marvel at that, he continued. "I managed to unintentionally wound a lot of people in this. You, May, Reika, Motoki. May left the conversation we had looking battered and blind-sided. Reika left in worse shape, and she was a mess when she landed on my doorstep," Mamoru added under his breath. He looked away for a moment and his voice almost seemed to break when uttered, "Motoki has decided that he no longer wants anything to do with me. But you," he turned around and pointed at Usagi, "you still someone manage to be my friend and attempt to be there for me in this. Even though I've hurt you. So Silver Millennium or not, future be damned, I'm lucky that you are in my life right now. Whatever your reasons."  
  
"What are you saying?" Usagi asked, while reflecting on what he hadn't said.  
  
"What I'm saying," Mamoru clarified, "is that I don't want to factor in whatever our relationship was in the past. I am just grateful that you are still offering to be my friend. That is what you are offering, right?"  
  
Usagi nodded hesitantly and then asked, "So...is that all we are now? Friends?"  
  
Mamoru raked his hand through his hair again. "I don't know. I really don't," he answered honestly after a few minutes. "But," he asked, "can't we start there for now?"  
  
Usagi walked over to Mamoru and grabbed his hand. As she began to speak, she started to cry softly. "Yes, we can start there. If," she qualified, "you recognize that I've been hurt too. After all the stuff we've been through and with all the stuff that has happened in the last few days...I can't just forget it all. I can't. I can still see-" Usagi's voice broke off a little, but she shook her head to banish the picture from her head and started again,"I honestly don't know where we are anymore. Or where we should be. I do know I only what to be together for the right reasons, whatever those are." She sighed. "Regardless of what happens," she said honeslty, "all I've wanted in this is for you to be happy, for everyone to be happy. And I don't want anyone feeling obligated and miserable. I...still care about you, Mamoru. I always will. And your need to connect with your family is just as important to me as it is to you."  
  
Mamoru smiled down at the blonde who held his hand, "Usagi," he said quietly as he squeezed her hand. "Thank you for offering to come with me to see my mother and brothers. I would be honored to have you by my side then. I think I want them to meet you, to really meet you."  
  
And, as time slowly crept by, as if it didn't want to disturb the fragile reconcilation between the couple either, a former prince and princess began to sofly talk about meeting a part of the past.  
  
*******  
  
It was later in the evening and former royals of earth were occupied in various activities in the mansion. Yusuke and Reika were playing a video game that May had managed to unearth and hook up, although she didn't explain how she did it. All she would say was "Pac-Man is addictive. You'll love it," leaving Yusuke and Reika to the diversion. Terry was in the kitchen with May, helping with dinner. Reika said that she thought Terry was in the kitchen playing dutiful son. Yusuke said that it was because the "future boy" refused to play any video game he considered primitive. May secretly thought Terry was in the kitchen to make sure that dinner was edible.  
  
"Careful that you don't burn that," Terry said to May, practically proving her point.  
  
"Terry, I do know what I'm doing," May said as she shifted the contents of the frying pan in front of her. "Why is it that all of you think that I'm incompetent in the kitchen?"  
  
"Well, the apple pie was good."  
  
"And why do y'all always respond with that?!" May asked in exasperation. "I did manage to survive and thrive for 6 years on my own cooking. And I didn't die from food poisoning, so I think y'all could be a little nicer to me," she finished in a pout.  
  
Terry was silent for a moment as he digested (for the umpteenth time) that May was actually dead, even though she stood next to him. Refusing to get too bogged down in emotion and miss this time with her, he turned to her and said, "But even you have to admit that dish you tried to make before was a little overcooked."  
  
"So I'm not used to cooking on gas. So sue me."  
  
Terry would have said something else, but at about that time, Yusuke's voice could be heard shouting from another room, "Where the hell did that come from?!" which was followed by feminine laughter.  
  
"The twip's obviously having fun," Terry said.  
  
"So is Reika," May said. "I'm glad. I've been a little worried about her lately. Just when she seems to come to terns with the situation, we dump something else on her lap." May sighed, "She never asked for any of this."  
  
Terry was about to ask whether any of them had asked for what happened to them, when he took a good look at May's profile. 'This is more than just pity,' Terry thought to himself, 'May actually looks like she's feeling guilty.' "You don't think this is your fault, do you?" Terry asked her after a pause.  
  
"Isn't it?" May asked quietly. "If I had just said no or not followed her into that store or just done everything differently, she'd be happily married by now."  
  
"Well, she'd be married by now, probably. But happily? Not necessarily." Terry took a deep breath, "Look. May, we all know that you meant no harm to anyone. So things didn't turn out quite the way you planned; it doesn't mean that you failed. Hey, you brought us together and you showed us the truth. And the truth can hurt...but I think we are all happy that we know what happened back then."  
  
There was a moment of silence. "Thank you, Terry," May said quietly. "I think I needed to hear that."  
  
The two smiled at each other and May when back to stirring the food in the frying pan in front of her. She was just about say something else to Terry when the doorbell rang.  
  
"Who could that be?" Reika could be heard asking...over Yusuke's annoyed, "Oh come on! This thing has to be rigged!"  
  
"All right," May said in an annoyed voice, as the doorbell rang again, "whoever ordered pizza because they were worried about how my cooking would turn out can damn well get the door and pay for it yourself."  
  
Over various denials (and what sounded like laughter from Reika), the doorbell rang for a third time. "Is someone going to answer the door?" May asked.  
  
"I'll go," Terry said as he began to leave the kitchen. "Just be careful that you don't burn that."  
  
"I swear I'm never cooking for you ungrateful people again," May's voice, sounding both annoyed and amused followed Terry as he walked to the door.   
  
Opening the door, Terry began to ask, "Can I help you?" but he didn't get past the help when he saw who was standing on the outside.  
  
-to be continued-  
  
Okay, here is a cry for help. While editor is amazing and I love her dearly (and she has been an amazing help), I am in desperate need of a beta-reader. I've been suffering from nasty writer's block with this story and the next three chapters (yes, I'm ending this in three chapters) are going to be amazingly difficult to write. I had even thought of giving up this story, but I really do want to finish it, if for nothing else than to say it's done. But I need someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to tell me when people are heinously OOC, and when the ending is just too "pat". So, help me please! If you are interested, email me at cemberl@yahoo.com.  
  
For anyone who is still reading this story, thank you. I am trying to have this story finished by the end of November (here's hoping), but we'll see. Please, read and review and email me. I really appreciate it.  
  
~December 


	21. Silence at the Door

Chapter 21:  
  
Week 4, Day 3 con't  
  
He took a deep breath as he reached up to ring the doorbell. He was surprised that he was doing this at all, much less this soon. His hand paused right before he reached his intended target.  
  
"Go on," a female voive encouraged as she squeezed the arm she held. "It will be all right."  
  
Nodding, the young man finally rang the doorbell. He actually ended up having to ring it two more times before someone finally opened the door. After each ring, he almost gave up and walked away...but his companion kept him there, promising that it would be okay.  
  
Finally, the door opened and the young man that looked so much like him managed to get out "Can I help-" before looking up and stopping abruptly in shock. Then he proceded to stare.  
  
Mamoru understood the boy's reaction as he was shocked into silence as well. He remembered from the last time he met this young man, who May and Reika had called "Terry", that the resemblance was uncanny, but he still wasn't prepared to relive it on the front door step. Added to this was the realization in the back of his head that he was looking at his brother from a past life...at Endymion's younger brother Tremaine. In this life, he had never had a brother...at least he never remembered having one. 'Usako was right,' he admitted to himself. The idea of family, any family from any era, was important to him.  
  
For his part, Terry looked equally shell-shocked, if not more so. He blinked several times, but he couldn't really manage to say anything. He didn't even seem to notice Usagi until she shifted nervously. When he did notice her, however, his gaze immediately narrowed...but then quickly shot back to Mamoru, looking confused and wary.  
  
It seemed as if several minutes passed with the three of them just looking at each other. Mamoru was about to try and speak when he heard a familar female voice ask a question.  
  
"Terry? Who was at the door?" the voice of Reika posed from somewhere within the house. While her voice still sounded a little hurt and weary, it was a lot happier than the last time Mamoru had heard it.  
  
At the sound of Reika's voice, Mamoru felt Usagi stiffen and shift again, almost as if her body had shifted into "fight or flight mode" and was preparing to leave. He reached down to hold her hand on his arm. When she looked up at him in surprise, he hoped he conveyed without words that he didn't know that Reika would be there. That, regardless of Reika's presence, he still needed Usagi here with him, as he didn't really know what to say.   
  
Terry's eyes hadn't missed the gesture. He didn't seem to be happy about it, either, as the wariness actually increased in his eyes. Mamoru, for the second time in five minutes, may have begun to say sometime when another voice was heard from the house.  
  
"Ha! I bet future boy got lost on his way to the door!" a male voice laughed. His jab at Terry was soon spoiled by his loud and angry, "Damnit! Where the hell did that come from?! It just appeared out of thin air!"  
  
Even if Mamoru had tried to speak for the third time, the next voice heard from the house would have definitely robbed him of speech, as he now knew who she was to him long ago.  
  
"Terry?" May called out, sounding concerned. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"He probably doesn't have enough money for the pizza," the other male voice, which must belong to Yusuke, responded.  
  
"Shut up, Yusuke," May could be heard saying in exasperation, confirming Mamoru's conjecture. Then she said, "Terry, whoever it is, can you hurry it up? I could use some-" a crash was heard in the background. "-help" the young woman's voice finished.  
  
"May, are you all right?" the concerned voice of Reika asked.  
  
"Hey, future boy! Hurry up and get back in the kitchen before May burns dinner or does something else stupid!"  
  
"I heard that, Yusuke," his mother from another life said to his baby brother from another life, in a tone that was almost familar. "I am not incompetent! Why do y'all seem to think that I am?" she finished in a whine.  
  
Yusuke had shouted something back, but the exchange from inside the house had given him enough time to pull himself together and finally, on the fourth try, to speak to the young man still standing at the door. Although he knew at least one of his questions was pointless, it was a place to start.   
  
Taking a deep breath, Mamoru asked, "Is May here? May I see her?"  
  
Terry, who still seemed to be in shock, nodded. A few beats later he moved away from the door and said, "Come in." After Mamoru and Usagi had entered the house, Terry closed the door and walked around the couple twice, as if trying to make sure they were not a threat. Eyes still confused and wary, he added quietly, "Follow me," before setting off into the mansion.  
  
As they walked, Mamoru kept his eyes on Terry, who kept his eyes straight ahead. Because of this, he felt, rather than of saw, Usagi looking around and he felt, rather than of saw, her reaction to something or someone in the house. She stiffened as if afraid and surprised. If he had honestly thought that his Usako was in any danger, he would have done something. But, as he walked, he realized that she was in the safest place she could be in this context, which was at his side.  
  
They entered the kitchen just behind Terry and stopped. Terry had stopped a few feet in front of them, but hadn't said anything. He hadn't needed to; although May's back was to them, she was clearly visible from the door.  
  
Seeing the woman who he now knew was his mother in a former life robbed him of speech again. For someone who had shoved his emotions into a black box inside of himself for many years, having so many emotions hit him at once, shocked him into inaction.  
  
It didn't shock his other senses, however. He felt two people standing behind him and Usagi; his best guess was that they were Reika and Yusuke. One of them was also very angry, but he got the feeling that it wasn't Reika.  
  
He focused his attention back in front of him. May, who appeared frustrated even from behind, was stirring something in a frying pan while standing on her left foot. Her right foot was dripping wet and was raised a little of the floor. Water and an overturned pan were on the floor not far from her stationary foot. "Terry," she breathed as she started to look over her shoulder, "Thank God. Could you give me a hand? I just found out the hard way that I can't-" Whatever else she was about to say died on her lips as she saw who else stood in her kitchen.  
  
"Lord Jesus," she said quietly, as she quickly put down her foot and dropped her spoon. Of course, as her first action was swift, she slipped a little. And, because she was stirring with her right hand seconds ago, her right wrist hit the hot pan. She had recovered her balance in seconds, but she wasn't able to stop her wrist from spending a second or two on the hot pan.  
  
"Ouch!" She shrieked as she pulled away from the stove and transfered her attention to her wrist.  
  
Reika, pushing past Mamoru and Usagi, moved quickly to May's side. "May, what did you do to yourself?" she asked as she turned off the stove and led May to the sink.   
  
May didn't answer, as her attention was back on Mamoru, confusion not all that dissimilar to Terry's shone in her eyes. But, instead of Terry's wariness, May's eyes held a measure of hope. For a moment she even seemed to be lost in thought or memory about something. She winced when Reika put her wrist under the cold water, but Mamoru got the impression that her reaction had little or anything to do with the water running over her injured wrist.  
  
"Mr. Chiba. After our last conversation, I didn't expect to see you," she confessed to Mamoru, without being asked. She would have said something else, but it appeared that she finally noticed Usagi on his arm. "But then," she continued with the hope dimming in her eyes, "I haven't asked why you are here. In part because I didn't think you were the vengeful type." May finished her observations in a whisper and she seemed to sag.  
  
"Damnit, lady! You are in no condition to be standing!" Yusuke shouted as he pushed Usagi out of his way so that he could get further into the kitchen. He grabbed a chair and slammed it down a foot from where May and Reika stood. "Sit down!" he ordered.  
  
May turned away to look at Yusuke with what looked like compassion to Mamoru. "Yusuke, I'm fine," she reassured quietly.  
  
"I'm with the twip on this," Terry finally spoke from his position in front of Mamoru. "You should sit. And we should take a look at that wrist," he finished as he walked toward her.  
  
"Boys, I'm okay," May insisted, but she sat down anyway. "I was just a little shocked that's all. And the floor is still wet."  
  
"And you managed to burn your wrist," Reika added. "I'll go find a first aid kit," she continued, looking grateful that she had an excuse to leave the room at that moment. Before she left the kitchen, she said to May, "As you are going to rest for the rest of the evening, I'll order take-out, too." With that she quickly slid pass Mamoru through the kitchen door, not once looking him in the eye.  
  
After Reika left, the kitchen was silent for a few moments. Then, May's eyes widdened. "Oh! My manners. Please, have a seat," May invited as she pointed to the other chairs around the same table in the kitchen. "That is, if you are staying. I wouldn't want to hold you up."  
  
Mamoru didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, Usagi uttered a quiet "Thank you" with a bow and led Mamoru to two of the chairs, where they then sat.  
  
There was silence for a few minutes. While there was clearly a lot of emotion in the room (and some of it was hostile), no one seemed to know what to say. Mamoru was about to open his mouth to say something, but May beat him.  
  
"Mamoru. Serenity," she addressed the couple across from her, "why have you paid us a visit?'  
  
At being addressed as Serenity, Usagi began to shake her head. "My name is Usagi, not Serenity."  
  
May's eye's narrowed in disabelief. "Are you saying you aren't Princess Serenity?"  
  
"In a past life I was Princess Serenity," Usagi admitted. "But in this life I'm Usagi."  
  
"What the difference?!" Yusuke thundered, "Powerful moon brat then, powerful blonde brat now. A name change doesn't change anything."  
  
The room was about to erupt into a fight at that comment, but May held up her hand and everyone, even Usagi, held their tongue...in part because in that gesture May looked a lot like the queen she was centuries ago. "Yusuke, that wasn't fair," May chastised her youngest. "A lot can change in a lifetime. In many ways, I'm not Adaunde or Pocahontas anymore either."  
  
"Poca who?" Yusuke asked.  
  
"Long story," May answered. "It's not important." After a few more moments of silence, May looked and Yusuke and Terry and said, "Maybe the two of you should leave me to talk to Mamoru and Seren - excuse me, Usagi - alone."  
  
"Absolutely not," Terry objected.  
  
"Hell no!" Yusuke asserted even more forcefully.  
  
"Boys," May pointed out, "I spoke to both of you alone in the beginning. Doesn't he deserve the same courtsey?"  
  
"That's not the point." Terry groused, "The point is that, past life or not, that's Princess Serenity sitting over there. And I, for one, remember what her mother was like."  
  
"And I remember that the bitch freak that tried to kill us works for her," Yusuke added as he pointed to Usagi.  
  
"We are justifiably worried about your safety," Terry finished.  
  
"I will be fine. I promise," May said. Terry and Yusuke didn't move. May sighed. "Okay," she said. "If you refuse to leave the room out of courtsey, maybe you'll leave to go check on Reika? She's been through a lot today," May reminded the two young men gently.  
  
The two young men looked at each other. That look was like a silent conversation between them, demonstrating how close they were. Mamoru envied that closeness; in fact, he felt a little shut out. But, to be fair, they had had more time together. He was just now coming to meet them.  
  
As if noticing the indecision in the young men, May again said, "I will be fine. Besides," May added in quiet voice, "even in the worse case senerio, it cannot be any worse than anything I've already gone through. I mean, getting killed by an engery blast has got to hurt less than what I went through before, right? It would definitely be over faster anyway," she muttered under her breath  
  
At that, both boys stiffened. "Don't joke about that, May. Don't even joke about that. It's not funny," Terry said seriously.  
  
May looked contrite as she turned to look at Terry. "I'm sorry. But I really will be okay," she assured Terry. "I'm just more worried about the other female in the house right now." May finished.   
  
"Okay," Terry finally agreed. "We're going. But-" he turned to look at Usagi, "if anything happens to May, you will have to deal with us."  
  
"Yeah," Yusuke agreed. "Girl or not, hurt May and I will kick your ass."  
  
And with those parting setiments, the former princes Tremaine and Arlington left the room.  
  
"I'm sorry about that," May said as she looked across the table. "They are a little worried. And with cause. We had a run in with your Pluto," she addressed to Usagi. "Actually," May expounded, "I had one run-in with Pluto; Terry and Yusuke had two. In the first of those run-ins, she tried to kill them. Among other things going through their heads, I bet they are wondering if your Pluto was acting on orders when she tried to terminate them." May paused, as if to observe their reactions to her revelations. Before he or Usagi could say anything, May looked at Usagi and conceded, "Looking at your horrified and surprised expression, I'll assume she wasn't."  
  
Usagi shook her head. Mamoru himself felt shock as well, but where Usagi probably felt horror, he felt anger. Pluto had tried to kill members of his family?! But why? What would that have served? And, Mamoru began to wonder, had she ever done it before?  
  
"But, back to my original question. Why have you and Usagi come to visit us? I assumed, after thinking about it, when you told me 'not now' the day I first made the offer, that you were giving me the polite Japanese version of 'no'. Where I came from, we would have said, 'Hell no! Fuck off!' Well, at least some people would have," May corrected herself with a laugh. "We are not known the world over for our manners." May shared as she smiled, but her eyes appeared worried when she looked at Mamoru. "Is this a social call to tell us we lost?"  
  
"No! He wanted to meet you. Family is important to him!" Usagi burst out, but then she blushed and looked a little sheepish.  
  
It was obvious that May heard and processed the outburst, although she didn't acknowledge it directly. "So you aren't choosing a side in the little war we were waging?" she asked Mamoru directly.  
  
"So you admit that-?" Mamoru started to ask, surprised that she realized and openly admitted that the actions of all involved in this situation made it seem like a war.  
  
"Yes. Although I wasn't proud of myself when I realized that was how I was behaving. I guess I thought myself above that. But that's what happens when you try to stuff alone," she added under breath. After a brief pause, she cleared her throat. "As you've probably managed to reason out for yourself, Pluto and I have been playing a high stakes game, a cross between hide-and-go-seek and tug-of-war, with you, your brothers, and a lot of other people in the middle," May paused a minute, as if she was reconsidering something. "Wait, maybe what we were playing was more like Red Rover," she corrected herself. "Regardless," May continued, "it was an all out war. We lied, cheated, stole, went for broke. All's fair in love and war, they say. On my end, I'd say I was playing for both. As for your Pluto, I would assume that it was just about war and power. But I don't know," May qualified.  
  
Mamoru and Usagi were both quiet for a moment. While he didn't know what Usagi was thinking, he knew that he himself didn't know what to say or what concern of May's to address first.   
  
May must have read the indecision on his face, because she looked at him and smiled in apology. "I threw a lot at you. Sorry, it's a habit of mine. Just ask Terry," May laughed. "Or Reika for that matter" May added under her breath. "Yusuke, I just threaten. It works better that way. But let me make this a little easier on you. Let's start with the most important question. Why did you come by?" May asked again.  
  
Mamoru took a deep breath before he spoke. "I came to take you up on your offer to meet my brothers. What you offered me the last time we met, if the offer still stands."  
  
"Of course it still stands," May assured him, the hope reappearing in her eyes.  
  
Mamoru pushed himself to continue. "I would like to really meet them and spend some time with my brothers and with you...mother."  
  
May blinked several times after Mamoru finished. "Wow," she finally said quietly, "I didn't know that you knew about my past life. I didn't know about it myself the last time we talked. I still don't know what I think about everything I know now. But anyway," May continued, "the offer is still open, but you only have 4 days."  
  
Out of all things Mamoru expected May to say, her agreement with an imposed time limited was unexpected. He expected either a flat refusal or an open acceptance. The tentative exceptance seemed strange and Mamoru didn't know what the four day time limit meant.  
  
"Why four days?" he asked as he gave up trying to figure out the reason for the time limit.  
  
"Because, Terry and Yusuke go home in four days," May said simply. Yet, there were a lot of emotions swirling in her eyes, make Mamoru think it wasn't that simple at all.  
  
"They can't stay any longer?" Usagi asked quietly when it became apparent that all Mamoru could do was stare at May.  
  
"No," May said, "those are the rules," she added rather strangely. "This was never met to be a long-term solution to anything."  
  
"Then why bother?" Usagi asked. When May turned and stared at her, she added rather quietly, "I mean, it must have been a lot of effort."  
  
May sighed, "It was and it wasn't. But I knew from day one this wasn't meant to be long-term. It wasn't so much about fixing anything, but letting the truth get out...and delivering a message to someone," May admitted. "I guess I saw it as one of those 'You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,' things. But the truth really hasn't freed anyone, has it?" she asked as she turned to look at Mamoru.  
  
"I don't know," Mamoru said quietly. "Maybe it has," he felt compelled to add as he looked at May's face, which was clearly showing guilt.  
  
"Maybe it has and maybe knowing the truth is a good thing, but I would feel a lot better about this whole thing if you did spend some time with your brothers over the next four days. Then this wouldn't feel entirely pointless."  
  
Mamoru nodded.  
  
"And one other thing," May said. "About Reika-"  
  
Usagi stiffened at this. She may have even left if Mamoru hadn't interrupted to say quietly, "I'm not Endymion. At least not anymore. I don't want to try to rebuild a relationship merely because it existed in the past. I may not be sure about a lot of things, but I do know how I do and do not feel about Reika."  
  
"Well, then," May said when he quieted down, "that makes what I'm about to say even more important." She looked Mamoru right in the eye. "Reika has been living with us for the past few days. She's been through a lot in all of this and she's pretty wounded. I won't ask her to leave; this has been her only safe haven, and I won't make her give up, not just because she was Daniella, but because she is Reika and a nice person in her own right in this life.  
  
"But, my point," May continued, "is that I'd ask you to be careful of her feelings in all of this. She doesn't know what she's going to do after we leave and she's struggling trying to deal with her past and present while trying to sort out her future. I'm not going to tell you what to do, that's not my place. But please, keep her in mind in all of this. Out of all of us, she had the least amount of warning about what was happening and the least amount of choice in her involvement in it."  
  
At that point, Mamoru opened his mouth to speak, but whatever it was he said was lost in the sound of a crash that came from above them.   
  
Usagi jumped and looked startled. Mamoru looked concerned. May, however, only sighed like this was a common occurence. "So, the boy really is annoyed," she said. "I wonder what he broke this time."  
  
- To be continued -  
  
I'm not all that happy with the ending of this chapter, but here it is. I want to thank my beta readers Peacebunnie and Shai for all of their help. In writing this story, I've discovered two things: it is easy to pull things apart and it is hard to put them back together.   
  
In the next chapter we'll get a chance to see what Reika, Terry, and Yusuke are up to and how they feel about their guest. I'm still planning on ending this story in no more than three chapters...but we'll see.  
  
Also, at this point, I'd suggest reading the story from the beginning. I changed part of chapter 20 and this chapter refers to something that I only mention in the first chapter. Anyway, it may be interesting to see where this story has gone.  
  
As always, thanks for reading. I appreciate the support.  
  
~December 


	22. Standing in the Pieces

A Month as a Time Walker

Standing in the Pieces Still Week 4, still day 3

She almost missed seeing it.

As she walked across the room to study the vase, she was surprised that she didn't see it when she first came into the room. It must have been because she was so pre-occupied with what was happening downstairs that she missed it, because it was one of the few things of color in the room.

"It can't be the vase I think it is," Reika said to herself as she lifted the vase. Green, gold and cream the vase seemed to shimmer. She was drawn to this vase; she needed to hold the vase and look at it.

From far away, the vase appeared to be painted green, with a gold and cream flower on its front. When viewed more closely, however, it could be seen that the vase was actually made up of pieces of rubble arranged to create the appearance of a painted vase. That little detail confirmed for Reika that the vase she was holding dated back over a thousand years. The vase in her hands was made for the then princess of earth from the some of the remains of the city of Towana in appreciation for the princess' influence and assistance after the earthquake that leveled the city. It was one of a kind and practically impossible to replace. "As is so much from that time," Reika thought to herself, realizing that she was discovering that fact the hard way.

Her hold lessened on the vase as she stared at the wall. Seeing this vase did make her reflect on her life. Was this past life the reason she studied what she did? Did she go to Africa to try and find other parts of this other life of hers? 

If nothing else, that trip should have made her re-evaluate a lot of her decisions sooner. When Makoto came to talk to her outside of the university, she told Reika to decide if she wanted "love or study". And, even with that strong statement, Reika had still decided to go to Africa. She had justified it to herself saying that love that couldn't survive distance wasn't worth it, or that if he loved her, Motoki would support her working towards her dream.

She had to wonder how true all of that was now. 

Reika shrugged as she looked back down at the vase in her hands. One old relic and Nishimura Reika had to wonder if she had been lying to herself for years.

While it was surprising that she almost missed seeing the vase, it wasn't surprising that she dropped it after being startled by the bang that echoed from somewhere else in the house. After all, she didn't have the strongest hold on the vase and her mind was somewhere else. She didn't even realize that she had dropped it until she heard the crash.

As she looked down at the now broken vase at her feet, her first thought was that it wasn't the only broken thing still around from that distant past. As she stood there, with a hand over her month, staring at the many pieces at her feet, she thought about crying. In the end, she decided against it. She'd cried a lot in the recent days, crying over a broken vase, original or not, didn't seem to be a good enough reason to cry anymore. She also thought about laughing, but quickly decided against that as well. Laughing over a broken vase was probably a sign that she was losing her sanity. As she had lost a lot of things already, she wanted to hold onto the illusion that she wasn't crazy. She also thought about moving, but, in that moment, the scattered mess at her feet was intriguing. It was like so many of the sites she seen while she was in Africa. Bits and pieces of animal skeletons, pottery, tools that told so many different stories.

One piece in particular caught her eye. She slowly reached for it, picking it up carefully, and wiping it off. It was a piece of a cornerstone or of some kind of marker. It looked like it had some kind of date on it. Staring at the piece of vase in her hand, the intellectual part of her was off and running, trying to tell the story of that piece. The rest of her could take a rest for a moment, and all of her attention could be focused, at least temporary, on something else besides what was happening downstairs.

"I can't believe that she just ordered us to leave!" Yusuke groused as he and Terry walked away from the now occupied kitchen.

"It wasn't exactly an order," Terry corrected. And Yusuke's look, he relented, "But it did seem order-like. What bothers me the most about it is that she didn't seem to understand why we were worried! I mean, sure Mamoru was our brother at some point, but he came through the door WITH Serenity. I'm not so sure we can trust him; I'm pretty sure we can't trust her."

Yusuke snorted, "Like May really thinks about things like her safety when she attempts things." The young man shrugged, "Dying does that to you."

Terry sent Yusuke a strange look, "That sounds like the voice of experience, twip."

"You have no idea."

Terry opened his open to ask about what that meant, when they heard a loud crash. It was rather startling, as if something fell or what knocked aside.

"May!" Yusuke shouted and he turned to rush back into the kitchen.

Terry quickly grabbed the younger boy's arm as his own brain tried to work through various pieces of information. "Wait. That crash came from upstairs. May is still in the kitchen, which is downstairs, so that means…"

"Reika," both boys said in unison and they ran for the steps.

"Reika! Reika, are you all right?" Terry shouted as they rushed down the long hall.

"Reika! Dammit, answer us! Where the hell are you?" Yusuke shouted as well, sounding agitated.

Opening every door they passed, the boys began more and more worried. Finally, upon reaching the tenth door, they found it open. They crossed the threshold to find Reika standing next to the bed, a piece of marble in her hands and various pieces of what may have been a pot at her feet. A bed with beige sheets was just behind her and on the edge of that bed was a first aid kit. 

Reika herself hadn't heard them come in the room. Assessing her vacant look, Terry would have waged a guess that she hadn't heard them shouting for her, either. She was thinking rather hard about something; it was like she wasn't there at all.

"Oh what the hell is this!" Yusuke spit out in annoyance as he took in the scene. Reika just stood in a pile of pieces, not moving. Yusuke's vocal annoyance did finally snap her out of whatever she was in, because she blinked a few times and then turned to look in the direction of the open doorway.

"Terry, Yusuke. What-"

"We heard a crash," Terry began. "Are you okay?" he asked as he looked at her.

"Yes, of course," she answered quietly.

"You are NOT okay!" Yusuke objected. "You are staring into space, standing in a pile of broken crap-"

"And you're bleeding," Terry voiced in surprised as he noticed the dark drops falling from Reika's hands. Walking over to her slowly, so not to startle her, Terry held out his hand and requested, "Why don't we go over here and I'll see just what you managed to do to yourself."

As Terry gently led Reika to the gray stuffed chair near the door, Yusuke walked over to the place where Reika was standing moments ago. "What happened?" he asked as he looked at the pieces on the floor, a odd mix of green, gold, cream and crimson.

"I'm not really sure," Reika began as Terry looked her over. "I was hold the vase and heard a bang. I guess it surprised me and a dropped the vase. I didn't realize I wasn't holding the vase anymore until I heard the crash-"

"And you managed to cut your feet as well as your hands. Put that sharp piece down for a second and let me bandage you up," Terry interrupted. Turning back toward Yusuke, he said, "Hey, twip. Throw me that first aid kit."

Yusuke reached down the bed to pick up the kit. After tossing it to Terry, he watched in silence as Terry quickly opened and assessed the contents of the kit. In looking at Reika now, the young hothead could concede that May had a point about checking on Reika. That didn't mean that he agreed with her orders, however; she reminded him a certain annoying toddler when she did things like that.

"So, why are you to up here?" Reika asked in the silence as Terry began to pick small pieces of vase out of the cuts in her feet. "I mean, with our…visitors downstairs, I would have thought that the two of you would be talking to him, too."

"May sent us off to play so that she could talk to him alone," Yusuke complained.

"It wasn't quite as bad as all of that," Terry weighed in as he pour rubbing alcohol onto a cotton ball. "May said that she talked to us alone and that Mamoru deserved the same courtesy." 

Slipping off one of Reika's slippers, Terry shook his head as he dabbed the first cut with the alcohol soaked cotton ball. Reika didn't even flinch as he did this. "What annoys me is that she doesn't seem to understand that we are worried about her safety. I mean, he did walk through the door with Serenity," Terry reminded everyone in the room,  
even though it was unlikely that anyone in the room had forgotten

At the name Serenity, Reika blinked a few times before shaking her head. Terry missed this as he was cleaning the cuts on her right foot, but Yusuke saw it. "What's with the blinking?"

"I'm sorry," Reika said softly. "It's just that it's still a little hard of me to think of her as Princess Serenity. She's been Usagi to me for the longest."

"The moon brat said something similar downstairs. What do you mean? I mean, she's Serenity."

Reika smiled quietly. "Well, yes and no. What I remember of Serenity was a quiet, proper woman who was so coldly polite. She was very graceful; she actually seemed to float on occasion. She appeared rather other-worldly the whole time she was on earth. She didn't show much emotion and you could never tell what she was thinking. In my book, that made her hard to trust, even it I was inclined to.

"But Usagi," Reika shook her head. "She was almost the anti-Serenity when I first met her."

"First met her?" Terry looked up from his work on Reika's left foot to pose his question. "How well do you know her?"

"Well, I met her through Motoki-"

"Motoki?" Yusuke asked

"My…ex-fiancé," Reika explained after a pregnant pause.

"Way to go, twip." Terry muttered under his breath.

"No," Reika shook her head and she put the sharp piece of vase she still held in her lap. "It's alright." She smiled at Yusuke before continuing, "Like I was saying I met her through Motoki. In fact, when I first met her, it was obvious she had a huge crush on him. So did her friend Makoto. I thought the whole thing was amusing in a sweet sort of way. I mean, they were both only fourteen. I think I may have even joked at the time about having competition. Later, her relationship with Motoki evolved into a big brother-little sister relationship. As Motoki has a little sister about Usagi's age it made sense that he would try to protect Usagi as well. I thought highly of him for it."

Seeing the look of sadness flit across Reika's face, Terry quickly sought to move on with the story. "So, how was Usagi an anti-Serenity?" Terry asked.

Reika laughed out loud. "She was clumsy. Loud. You could just look at her face and see whatever she was feeling. I mean Serenity stumbled slightly when she was adjusting to the gravity of earth, but Usagi tripped over her own two feet. Constantly. She ran into people, often at top speed. She was often late. She could out screech an owl. Definitely more transparent. Sure, she's a little better now,  
but this characterization isn't out of date yet.

Reika sighed as she continued, "To be honest, I was never one hundred percent comfortable around her, but I think that was residual Daniella. And the fact that I don't have a younger sibling myself and I had practically forgotton what it was like to be a fourteen year old girl. But in many ways, Usagi is almost a different person than Serenity."

Reika's last sentence seemed to hang in the air, in part because it had never consciously occurred to any of the three people in the room. If that were as true as Reika just asserted it was, no one was really sure they knew what that meant for them.

"So what do we do now?" Terry asked quietly.

"Find a new first aid kit, since you'd use all of that one on Reika and May's still downstairs with a cooking injury," Yusuke replied. It was hard to tell if he didn't get the deeper meaning of Terry's question or if he was just ignoring it because he didn't have an answer.

"Oh, I haven't called for dinner yet," Reika gasped, putting her newly bandaged right hand to her month.

"Don't worry about it," Terry said. "We still have leftover spaghetti. We'll heat that up later. You can just take it easy."

After that statement a silence descended upon the room, as three people's thoughts turned to what was happening downstairs. 

- to be continued - 

I don't believe it, either. One little challenge and I have another chapter of A month...and a plan for another one soon. I may be able to wrap this story up in two to three more chapters...if I'm willing to leave a lot of loose ends. I'll have to think about that.

I hope you all enjoy. Thanks for reading (or, at this point, re-reading) and I hope it doesn't take me years to come up with the next chapter.  
December 


End file.
